[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/9969\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EAtmosphere of excitement as Europe\u2019s JWST astronomers study climate on other planets\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) launched on Christmas Day 2021, is already transforming our understanding of planets in our Solar System and far beyond. A versatile satellite observatory, JWST has a clear-eyed view from its orbital position, 1.5m km away from Earth in space. This gives it a major advantage over ground-based telescopes which must peer out to space through Earth\u2019s hazy atmosphere.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003EJWST collects five times as much light as the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), allowing it to detect faint signals from distant worlds using its spectroscopic\u0026nbsp;capabilities.\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018Before the James Webb Space Telescope, only a very small number of molecules could be observed, such as water, carbon monoxide and sodium,\u2019 said\u0026nbsp;J\u00e9r\u00e9my Leconte, astrophysicist at the University of Bordeaux in France. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EPrevious missions and observations from Earth have discovered thousands of exoplanets (those outside our Solar System) and astronomers are already taking advantage of JWST\u2019s unique capabilities to study \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/research-and-innovation\/en\/horizon-magazine\/searching-skies-building-blocks-life-universe\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Ethe building blocks of life in the Universe\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAlien skies\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EEarlier this year, the James Webb telescope allowed astrophysicists to observe an exoplanet around a Sun-like star, 700 light-years away. Starlight passing through the atmosphere of the hot Jupiter-like planet WASP-39b gives astronomers a view into the chemistry of alien skies.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFrom Earth, telescopes struggle to observe carbon dioxide on exoplanets, as they must look through the CO\u003Csub\u003E2 \u003C\/sub\u003Ein the planets\u2019 atmosphere. The JWST observatory allows a greater range of molecules, including carbon dioxide, to be detected in the skies of WASP-39b. The presence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere may indicate organic life exists on the planet.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018This is really a game-changer,\u2019 said Leconte. \u2018We really need to look at planets around stars that are close to us. This is our best chance to characterise their atmospheres.\u2019 \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe really need to look at planets around stars that are close to us. This is our best chance to characterise their atmospheres.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EJ\u00e9r\u00e9my Leconte, WHIPLASH\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIn particular, he is interested in seven rocky planets that orbit the dwarf TRAPPIST-1 star, 40 light-years away, and especially their atmospheres. The planets exist in the habitable zone, meaning it has the right temperatures for water to remain liquid.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EUsually, when scientists make predictions about an exoplanet\u2019s atmosphere, they assume it is homogeneous \u2013 the same conditions exist all over it. This is unlikely to be true.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ELeconte has developed a 3-D simulator (as part of the \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/679030\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EHorizon-funded WHIPLASH project\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E) to run tests on simulated planets with known characteristics, such as the presence of liquid water. Using simulated planets to run these tests is like having the answers at the back of a math\u2019s book: tests can be run and the answers the models provide can be compared with the known characteristics. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMany thousands more exoplanets will likely be discovered in the coming years \u2013 including those found using the new space telescope. Scientists want to know if their models can offer accurate insights. Some of the answers to questions about far-away exoplanets might lie close to home in the Solar System, in the four largest planets \u2013 Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThe \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission_pages\/juno\/main\/index.html\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EJuno orbiter mission\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E has provided spectacular views of Jupiter, while \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/missions\/cassini\/overview\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003Ethe Cassini spacecraft\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E revealed details about the planet Saturn. Previously, the \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/solarsystem.nasa.gov\/missions\/voyager-2\/in-depth\/\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EVoyager 2 spacecraft\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E flying by Neptune and Uranus took images of their atmospheres.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018We have captured glorious images from these planets, with all these whirling storm systems and candy-coloured stripes, which are large-scale weather circulation patterns,\u2019 said planetary scientist Leigh Fletcher at the University of Leicester, \u2018But it is just a snapshot of their atmospheres and climates at a particular moment in time.\u2019 \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EFour giants \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003ETo understand climate and weather patterns, Fletcher leads a project called \u003C\/span\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/723890\u0022\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EGIANTCLIMES\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E that pieced together scattered pieces of the puzzle of their ever-changing atmospheres. They used past observations from telescopes on Earth to understand natural cycles on the four giant planets over many decades. This work has prepared the ground for the highly anticipated new maps of these worlds from the JWST.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003EWe\u2019ve got a collection of diverse planetary atmospheres in our Solar System which form a template for what we might expect to see around other stars.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003ELeigh Fletcher, GIANTCLIMES\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EUranus and Neptune are the most distant planets in the Solar System and these so-called \u0022ice giants\u0022 still retain an air of mystery. They are composed mostly of hydrogen, helium and other gases like methane.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018There\u2019s so much potential for brand new discoveries (with these two planets),\u2019 said Fletcher. \u2018We don\u2019t have a good handle on the workings of the atmospheres of these ice giants compared to the better-studied gas giants (Jupiter \u0026amp; Saturn).\u2019\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMethane snow\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EMeanwhile, Saturn is known to have massive storm systems, and Neptune may have methane snowstorms. The key variable in weather patterns is always temperature, with frigid cold temperatures on distant Neptune and Uranus.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EThere has been progress already with the publication of the first ever maps of atmospheric temperatures high in the stratosphere of Uranus. This revealed surprising seasonal circulation systems and bright spots over the poles. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EIt also predicts that giant planets, often titled on their axis, have extremely long seasons. \u2018We do see seasons modulating atmospheric temperatures and clouds and precipitations as we do on planet Earth,\u2019 said Fletcher, \u2018but we also see regular natural cycles in the atmosphere that are not seasonal. We\u2019re just starting to understand the weather on giant planets.\u2019\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003ETwo fields are moving fast in astrophysics. They are exoplanets and cosmology, which really comes down to the question of God and life.\r\n\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EJ\u00e9r\u00e9my Leconte, WHIPLASH\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAlso, Neptune\u2019s atmosphere showed substantial storm and weather activity, but the team were surprised with the finding that the planet seems to have cooled during the summer, rather than warmed.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EGIANTCLIMES is a supporting act for the arrival of the JWST. The new telescope has already observed Jupiter, and in the near future it will turn towards Uranus and Saturn, and then Neptune early in 2023, allowing for comparisons between planets.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018How the climates work on the four worlds is really the nub of what we are trying to understand,\u2019 said Fletcher. It is expected to offer more insight into the natural cycles of climate variability as detected on Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune. Their extremes could even tell us more about Earth\u2019s own climate and weather patterns.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EAlien life \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EStudies of the four giants are also relevant to exoplanet research. \u2018We\u2019ve got a collection of diverse planetary atmospheres in our Solar System which form a template for what we might expect to see around other stars,\u2019 enthused Fletcher. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018Maybe these exoplanetary targets also exhibit similar natural cycles, and the end goal is to try to have weather prediction or climate prediction for all of the planets, not just those in our Solar System,\u2019 concluded Fletcher.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003EJWST will allow scientists better views into the skies of planets in the far reaches of the Solar System, but also worlds light years away, some of which could be surrounded by protective atmospheres and terrestrial conditions conducive to alien life. \u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cspan\u003E\u2018Two fields are moving fast in astrophysics. They are exoplanets and cosmology, which really comes down to the question of God and life, so where does the Universe come from and where do we come from,\u2019 said Leconte.\u003C\/span\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch in this article was funded via the EU\u2019s European Research Council (ERC). 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