Exploring Alien Worlds with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope: Transit Techniques

The James Webb Space Telescope will spend much of its mission looking at exoplanets to characterize their atmospheric composition, measure their size, and even their climates! But how does it work?

Join astrobiologist Dr. Giada Arney from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center as she breaks down two of Webb’s transit techniques: transit spectroscopy and the phase curve technique. These methods creatively analyze the reflected and absorbed light of an exoplanet’s star to determine a wealth of planetary information. Webb will also use direct imaging along with the above techniques to characterize exoplanets and other stellar objects.

Credit: NASA