JWST Opens a New Era: The Search for Atmospheric Biosignatures

In this article published in The Conversation, Chris Impey and I explain how space telescopes can be used to search for atmospheric signatures of life in extrasolar planets, and why is JWST an important first step in this search.

However, this early data shows that James Webb is capable of detecting faint chemical signatures in light coming from exoplanets. In the coming months, Webb is set to turn its mirrors toward TRAPPIST-1e, a potentially habitable Earth-sized planet a mere 39 light-years from Earth.

To search for alien life, astronomers will look for clues in the atmospheres of distant planets – and the James Webb Space Telescope just proved it’s possible to do so