New Cloud-Detecting Method Will Help Astronomers Characterize Exoplanets

Astronomers have developed a technique that allows them to detect cloud cycles on distant exoplanets. Using data from the James Webb Sapce Telescope (JWST), the astronomers found that mornings and evenings on the gas giant WASP-94A b have extremely different weather patterns: mornings are riddled with sand clouds, while the skies are clear in the early evenings. By isolating the clouds, researchers can more accurately measure a planet’s atmosphere and provide a clearer picture of the planet’s composition. WASP-94A b, for example, has much less oxygen and carbon than astronomers perviously calculated, making its atmosphere much more like Jupiter than they had originally thought. The current exoplanet census stands at 6,291 confirmed candidates across 4,709 systems, with tens of thousands awaiting confirmation. With so many planets available for study and improvements in both instruments and methods, the process is transition... [6407 chars]