Other final projects

Explore Exoplanet Atmospheres

Investigate the atmospheres of planets outside our solar system, then make a pitch for what exoplanet spectra you’d like to capture with the James Webb Space Telescope.

Modeling Cloudy & Hazy Atmospheres

Spectrum Tool.

  1. View the tutorial below, which describes 2 different models for a Hot Jupiter exoplanet. The first model has a cloudy atmosphere. The second has a hazy atmosphere. They both differ from the model for a clear atmosphere in two distinct ways.
  2. After the tutorial is complete, you can compare the spectra for these three models by using the dropdown menus under Source 1 and Source 2.

Spectrum Notebook. As you view the tutorial, answer these questions in your Notebook.

  1. Clear vs Cloudy: How would you compare the width and depth of the absorption features in the Clear Hot Jupiter Model vs the predicted model for a Cloudy Hot Jupiter? How might you explain why clouds could cause this difference?
  2. Clear vs Hazy: How would you compare the overall slope of the spectrum (from shorter to longer wavelengths) in the Clear Hot Jupiter Model vs the predicted model for Hazy Hot Jupiter?
Source 1:
Exoplanet Models — Clear Hot Jupiter Model Transmission
Brightness
Full-intensity spectrum backgroundTransparency increases or decreases based on chart intensity, hiding or revealing the background
Left axis ticks
Spectrum intensity vs wavelength chart
Bottom axis ticks
Wavelength (microns)
Source 2:
Exoplanet Models — Cloudy Hot Jupiter Model Transmission
Brightness
Full-intensity spectrum backgroundTransparency increases or decreases based on chart intensity, hiding or revealing the background
Left axis ticks
Spectrum intensity vs wavelength chart

Different atmospheric conditions — such as Clouds — can change how individual spectral signatures appear, including the width and depth of specific absorption features.

Bottom axis ticks
Wavelength (microns)