5 ms·

So is there any reason not to point this at Proxima Centauri b, like, ASAP? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxima_Centauri_b https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prox

So is there any reason not to point this at Proxima Centauri b, like, ASAP? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxima_Centauri_b https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxima_Centauri_b

sbierwagen 4y ago
WASP-96b has an orbit that passes in front of its star, Proxima Centauri b doesn't. An obvious target for the coronagraph for regular imaging, but there's no way to get a transmission spectrum of its atmosphere.
- caf 4y ago
  How long would we likely have to wait for another more distant star in our galaxy to pass behind it from our perspective?
  - sbierwagen 4y ago
    Prox c. has a screamin' hot proper motion, as you'd expect from it's proximity, so it's moving across the celestial sphere at a pretty good clip. The real problem is that Prox c. b is only 0.04 AU out from its host star. So the absorption spectra for a star lined up with the planet is going to be pretty well contaminated with light from Prox c. You could imagine various schemes for moving around the observer for the best angle or big occultation disks, but at a certain point it's going to be easier to just fly a probe over and sample the atmosphere directly.
yupper32 4y ago
I don't know about Proxima Centauri b, but they'll be spending around 25% of "Cycle 1" (the first 6,000 hours of science) working on exoplanets, don't worry: "Over the coming year, researchers will use spectroscopy to analyze the surfaces and atmospheres of several dozen exoplanets, from small rocky planets to gas- and ice-rich giants. Nearly one-quarter of Webb’s Cycle 1 observation time is allocated to studying exoplanets and the materials that form them." - https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-reveals-steamy-atmosphere-of-distant-planet-in-detail/ https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-...

5 ms·

So is there any reason not to point this at Proxima Centauri b, like, ASAP? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxima_Centauri_b https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prox

by kentonv 4y ago

So is there any reason not to point this at Proxima Centauri b, like, ASAP? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxima_Centauri_b https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Proxima_Centauri_b

sbierwagen 4y ago
WASP-96b has an orbit that passes in front of its star, Proxima Centauri b doesn't. An obvious target for the coronagraph for regular imaging, but there's no way to get a transmission spectrum of its atmosphere.
- caf 4y ago
  How long would we likely have to wait for another more distant star in our galaxy to pass behind it from our perspective?
  - sbierwagen 4y ago
    Prox c. has a screamin' hot proper motion, as you'd expect from it's proximity, so it's moving across the celestial sphere at a pretty good clip. The real problem is that Prox c. b is only 0.04 AU out from its host star. So the absorption spectra for a star lined up with the planet is going to be pretty well contaminated with light from Prox c. You could imagine various schemes for moving around the observer for the best angle or big occultation disks, but at a certain point it's going to be easier to just fly a probe over and sample the atmosphere directly.
yupper32 4y ago
I don't know about Proxima Centauri b, but they'll be spending around 25% of "Cycle 1" (the first 6,000 hours of science) working on exoplanets, don't worry: "Over the coming year, researchers will use spectroscopy to analyze the surfaces and atmospheres of several dozen exoplanets, from small rocky planets to gas- and ice-rich giants. Nearly one-quarter of Webb’s Cycle 1 observation time is allocated to studying exoplanets and the materials that form them." - https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-reveals-steamy-atmosphere-of-distant-planet-in-detail/ https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/goddard/2022/nasa-s-webb-...