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Organic hazes will impact JWST observations of water-rich exoplanets

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The optical properties of the organic hazes that form in water-rich exoplanet atmospheres differ from those that form in nitrogen-rich atmospheres. This difference in optical properties can have an observable effect on spectral observations of exoplanets and could impact the interpretation of current and upcoming JWST observations.

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Fig. 1: Measuring and modelling spectra of a water-rich atmosphere around a GJ 1214 b-like planet.

References

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This is a summary of: Chao, H. et al. Optical properties of organic haze analogues in water-rich exoplanet atmospheres observable with JWST. Nat. Astron. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02140-4 (2023).

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Organic hazes will impact JWST observations of water-rich exoplanets. Nat Astron 8, 162–163 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41550-023-02141-3

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