Exploring Alien Worlds with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope featuring Dr. Giada Arney

The James Webb Space Telescope is taking exoplanet studies to the next level, helping us characterize the atmospheres of Earth-sized alien worlds for the first time. By utilizing transit techniques and spectroscopy, Webb will study planetary atmospheres to search for the building blocks of life elsewhere in the universe. In the “Exploring Alien Worlds with NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope” series, Research Space Scientist Dr. Giada Arney from the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center introduces Webb’s scientific capabilities as they relate to the field of astrobiology and our search for life in the universe. In this series, we’ll touch on Webb’s exploration of the TRAPPIST-1 system (a planetary system of seven rocky exoplanets), its search for atmospheric biosignatures (scientific evidence of past or present life), and the techniques Webb will use in its quest to #UnfoldTheUniverse.