2nd Saturday Astronomy Program: Exoplanets!

After the successful launch and commissioning of JWST in early 2022, the science operations phase of the telescope has officially commenced. Not only is the telescope operating at higher than expected levels on almost every front, but we have already begun to glimpse parts of the universe never seen before. Of particular note is the results around extrasolar planets – planets around stars other than our own. As was already shown during the unveiling of the atmosphere of WASP-96 b in the Early Release Observations press conference, JWST is showing us the colors of these planets to a level of precision we could have only dreamed.

As an astrophysics PhD student at Johns Hopkins University, home of the Space Telescope Science Institute and JWST mission control center, Bainbridge High School class of 2016 alumnus Natalie Allen has been right in the center of this excitement. In this talk, she will share insights into the performance of the telescope and will speak on her work on early JWST data studying the composition of exoplanet atmospheres. Additionally, she will share some of the results you can look forward to in the near future, including scientists’ attempts at answering the age-old question of whether we are alone in the universe.