Seminario DAS: Exoplanet atmospheres revealed: Insights from JWST observations

Speaker: Dr. Néstor Espinoza
Affiliation: Associate Astronomer & Mission Scientist for Exoplanet Science, STScI

Abstract: The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) is revolutionizing the field of exoplanet atmospheric science with its unprecedented stability and wavelength coverage. From revealing previously unexplored chemistry to signatures of 3-dimensional processes, exoplanet atmospheric observations — in particular from transiting exoplanets — are providing key insights to understand the interiors of these distant worlds. In this talk, I will showcase how current findings from JWST are reshaping not only our understanding of exoplanet atmospheres, but also how we approach interpreting and modelling exoplanet observations themselves. In addition, I will discuss the exciting new frontiers being explored by JWST observations of rocky and gas giant exoplanet atmospheres. Finally, I will discuss the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead for the field with cutting edge technology such as JWST’s at hand, and highlight how these hold the promise of bringing us closer than ever to contextualizing our Solar System within the vast exoplanetary landscape.