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.

WASP-17b Case Study Part 1: Data Resolution

Spectrum Tool. The top panel shows the transmission spectrum, captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope (HST), of a Hot Jupiter named WASP-17b. The bottom panel shows the predicted model transmission spectrum for a Clear Hot Jupiter.

Compare the two spectra. Note that both spectra are set to “Scatter Plot” mode with the data points unconnected by lines.

Spectrum Notebook. Answer these questions in your Notebook.

  1. How would you compare the resolution (number of data points per wavelength interval) of the Hubble Space Telescope data compared to the model? Explain how this might affect your ability to interpret and draw conclusions from the data.
Source 1:
Exoplanets — WASP-17b, Hot Jupiter (HST)
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 — 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)
previous section
part 2