🔭 Exoplanet Atmosphere Analyzer
Analyze alien atmospheres through transit spectroscopy and search for biosignatures
🤔 What Is Exoplanet Atmosphere Analysis?
Exoplanet atmosphere analysis uses transit spectroscopy to study starlight filtering through alien atmospheres. When a planet passes in front of its host star, specific wavelengths are absorbed by atmospheric gases. By examining this absorption spectrum, scientists identify molecules like water vapor (H₂O), carbon dioxide (CO₂), methane (CH₄), and oxygen (O₂) — potential biosignatures indicating the presence of life. JWST has revolutionized this field, detecting CO₂ and dimethyl sulfide in the atmosphere of K2-18b, a sub-Neptune in its star's habitable zone.
Why does this matter? Finding the right combination of atmospheric gases on a rocky planet in the habitable zone would be the strongest evidence yet for extraterrestrial life. The greenhouse effect, cloud cover, and atmospheric escape all determine whether a world can sustain liquid water. Every spectrum we analyze brings us closer to answering: are we alone?