Webb's Exoplanet Revolution

The universe is full of worlds. Now, for the first time, we are beginning to read their skies.

The James Webb Space Telescope is transforming what astronomers can learn about planets beyond our solar system. Instead of merely discovering distant worlds, Webb can study their atmospheres, detect chemical signatures, investigate weather and climate, and explore the conditions that might make some planets capable of supporting life.

Webb's Exoplanet Revolution takes readers inside this extraordinary new era of discovery.

From the groundbreaking observations of WASP-39b to the seven rocky worlds of TRAPPIST-1, this book explores how Webb is changing our understanding of planets beyond the Sun.

Inside, you'll discover:

• How astronomers detect and study exoplanet atmospheres
• How transmission and emission spectroscopy reveal atmospheric chemistry
• What Webb discovered in the atmosphere of WASP-39b
• Why carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide detections matter
• What makes the TRAPPIST-1 system so scientifically important
• The mystery of sub-Neptunes and their unusual atmospheres
• What Webb is teaching us about hot Jupiters
• How astronomers are beginning to study rocky planets
• The chemistry connected to planetary habitability
• How Webb may eventually help scientists search for biosignatures
• What Webb can-and cannot-tell us about life beyond Earth

Written for curious readers without requiring a background in astronomy or physics, this book explains the science behind Webb's observations while exploring one of humanity's most profound questions:

Are we alone?