Space observatory
Appears in 4 stories
Collected the archival observations used in the survey
The James Webb Space Telescope surveyed 72 young sun-like stars and found their planet-forming disks lose gas through two distinct wind mechanisms in sequence. Magnetic fields drive strong jets and molecular winds in the youngest systems, then high-energy starlight heats the thinning gas until it escapes in a process called photoevaporation.
Updated Sep 28
Instrument used for the 2022 Chariklo occultation observation
Chariklo is a small body orbiting between Saturn and Uranus, and it hosts two narrow rings discovered in 2013. New James Webb Space Telescope observations show those rings are not stable: the inner ring has grown denser while the outer ring has faded, all within a few years.
Updated Sep 16
Operational since July 2022
NASA confirmed its 6,000th exoplanet in September 2025, marking a milestone exactly 30 years after astronomers discovered the first planet orbiting a Sun-like star. The tally jumped from 5,000 to 6,000 in just three years—an acceleration driven by space telescopes and AI analysis. Over 8,000 additional candidates await confirmation.
Updated May 19
Operating since 2022, revolutionizing exoplanet atmospheric science
Cambridge astronomers announced they'd found dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl disulfide in the atmosphere of K2-18b—molecules that, on Earth, only life produces. The detection using JWST's mid-infrared instrument hit 3-sigma confidence, meaning a 0.3% chance it's statistical noise. If real, it's the strongest evidence yet of biology beyond our solar system.
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