A team of astronomers, including Dr. Jason Rowe of Bishop's University, has unraveled the enigmatic atmosphere of the exoplanet HAT-P- 18 b, shedding light on its intriguing blend of gases, clouds, and even the effects of its star's activity. Leveraging the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and sophisticated modelling techniques, their pioneering study provides a remarkable peek into the complexities of distant worlds and paves the way for a deeper understanding of exoplanetary atmospheres and the importance of considering their stars.
Exoplanets, planets located beyond our Solar System, captivate both scientists and the public, holding the promise of unveiling diverse planetary systems and potentially habitable worlds. Despite being very much not like our Earth, large gas giant planets found very close to their stars have proven to be ideal test targets for telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to refine astronomers' methods of understanding exoplanets. One such planet is HAT-P-18 b, a "hot Saturn" type planet located over 500 light-years away with a mass similar to Saturn's but a size closer to that of the larger Jupiter. This gives the exoplanet a puffed-up atmosphere that is especially ideal for analysis.
Led by a team of researchers from the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets at the Université de Montréal (UdeM), a team of astronomers, including Dr. Jason Rowe, Canada Research Chair in Exoplanet Astrophysics, and professor in the department of Physics and Astronomy, harnessed the power of the revolutionary Webb Telescope to study HAT-P-18 b. Their findings, detailed in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS), provide a comprehensive portrait of the hot Saturn's atmosphere while delving into the complexities of distinguishing atmospheric signals from stellar activity.
