WEBVTT 1 00:00:03.399 --> 00:00:07.719 Welcome to Bedtime Astronomy. Explore the wonders of the cosmos 2 00:00:07.759 --> 00:00:12.279 with our soothing Bedtime Astronomie podcast. Each episode offers a 3 00:00:12.359 --> 00:00:16.320 gentle journey through the stars, planets, and beyond, perfect for 4 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:20.239 unwinding after a long day. Let's travel through the mysteries 5 00:00:20.239 --> 00:00:22.440 of the universe as you drift off into a peaceful 6 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:23.800 slumber under the night sky. 7 00:00:26.760 --> 00:00:27.800 Okay, let's unpack this. 8 00:00:28.079 --> 00:00:30.079 Imagine looking up at the night sky and pointing to 9 00:00:30.120 --> 00:00:33.200 a tiny, distant speck forty light years away and asking, 10 00:00:33.719 --> 00:00:36.399 could there be liquid water? There? Could there be an atmosphere? 11 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:40.159 That's exactly the cosmic adventure we're embarking on today. We're 12 00:00:40.200 --> 00:00:43.399 diving deep into the mystery surrounding an Earth sized exoplanet 13 00:00:43.479 --> 00:00:46.920 that's been captivating scientists and stargazers alike. Our star for 14 00:00:46.960 --> 00:00:50.320 this deep dive is trappist One, a world that scientists 15 00:00:50.320 --> 00:00:54.119 sometimes just call a planet e. Our mission today is 16 00:00:54.159 --> 00:00:57.399 to explore the central enigma of this fascinating world, the 17 00:00:57.439 --> 00:01:00.600 potential for liquid water and the absolutely creal role of 18 00:01:00.640 --> 00:01:04.079 an atmosphere in making that possibility a reality and helping 19 00:01:04.159 --> 00:01:06.840 us unravel this cosmic puzzle, of course, is the incredible 20 00:01:06.879 --> 00:01:10.920 eye in the sky NASA's James Webb Space Telescope for you. 21 00:01:10.959 --> 00:01:14.120 This deep dive is a shortcut to understanding cutting edge astrophysics, 22 00:01:14.159 --> 00:01:17.560 revealing surprising facts, and hopefully giving you those aha moments 23 00:01:17.560 --> 00:01:19.400 about world far far beyond our own. 24 00:01:19.480 --> 00:01:21.879 And what's really fascinating here is that this isn't just 25 00:01:21.959 --> 00:01:25.439 about you know, spotting a distant spec It's about meticulously 26 00:01:25.519 --> 00:01:29.319 piecing together the precise conditions that could support liquid water, 27 00:01:29.760 --> 00:01:33.120 that most fundamentally ingredient for life as we know it. So, yeah, 28 00:01:33.120 --> 00:01:35.159 we're going to explore how scientists are using the most 29 00:01:35.159 --> 00:01:39.040 powerful telescope ever built to try and detect these all 30 00:01:39.079 --> 00:01:42.840 these faint whispers of an atmosphere and what those whispers 31 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:45.159 or maybe their absence might tell us about this really 32 00:01:45.159 --> 00:01:49.000 intriguing world. This journey into Trappist One is it's a 33 00:01:49.040 --> 00:01:52.000 prime example of how science actually works. You know, you 34 00:01:52.000 --> 00:01:56.560 have initial theories, then groundbreaking observations and new data, constantly 35 00:01:56.560 --> 00:02:00.079 refining our understanding. It moves closer to answers off in 36 00:02:00.159 --> 00:02:02.840 a very collaborative way, and it really challenges us to 37 00:02:02.920 --> 00:02:06.920 reconsider what we think we know about potentially habitable environments. 38 00:02:07.400 --> 00:02:10.960 So what exactly is this enigmatic planet E that has 39 00:02:11.000 --> 00:02:12.840 scientists so incredibly excited. 40 00:02:12.919 --> 00:02:13.560 Let's start there. 41 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:15.919 You know, when we talk about exoplanets, often we're dealing 42 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:19.840 with worlds that are just just barely detectable, think blips 43 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:23.840 in the data. But trapp Is One, well, it's an 44 00:02:23.879 --> 00:02:27.840 Earth size exoplanet orbiting a star forty light years away. 45 00:02:28.240 --> 00:02:31.520 Now forty light years sounds enormous, and it is something 46 00:02:31.560 --> 00:02:34.280 like two hundred and thirty five trillion miles, but in 47 00:02:34.319 --> 00:02:38.120 cosmic terms, that's practically our next door neighbor. This relative 48 00:02:38.159 --> 00:02:41.240 proximity is exactly what makes it such a prime candidate 49 00:02:41.280 --> 00:02:43.479 for the kind of detailed observation we're going to talk about. 50 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:46.120 Right, it's close enough to get a good look, relatively speaking, 51 00:02:46.159 --> 00:02:47.919 And it's not just its closeness, is it. The whole 52 00:02:47.960 --> 00:02:49.800 system it's in is pretty special. 53 00:02:49.879 --> 00:02:53.159 Absolutely, Planet E isn't alone out there. It's one of 54 00:02:53.280 --> 00:02:56.520 seven Earth sized planets all packed quite tightly around a 55 00:02:56.520 --> 00:02:59.000 star called trapp Is One. Now trapp Is One isn't 56 00:02:59.080 --> 00:03:00.719 like our sun at all. What we call a red 57 00:03:00.800 --> 00:03:04.560 dwarf star, much smaller, much cooler, and dimmer than our 58 00:03:04.560 --> 00:03:08.039 familiar yellow dwarf sun. Think about a star that's maybe 59 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:10.719 only about eight percent the mass of our Sun, barely 60 00:03:10.800 --> 00:03:13.960 larger than the planet Jupiter. Wow, that's yeah, really small 61 00:03:14.000 --> 00:03:17.159 for a star. And this means its habitable zone. You 62 00:03:17.159 --> 00:03:20.800 know that Goldilocks region where liquid water can theoretically exist 63 00:03:20.800 --> 00:03:23.800 on a planet's surface. Yeah, it's much much closer to 64 00:03:23.840 --> 00:03:26.319 the star than Earth's orbit is around our Sun. 65 00:03:26.520 --> 00:03:30.199 So Planet EE must be orbiting incredibly close to Trappis 66 00:03:30.199 --> 00:03:31.960 one to be in that zone. Does that mean it 67 00:03:31.960 --> 00:03:32.960 gets baked. 68 00:03:33.120 --> 00:03:35.800 Or that's the interesting part. It is incredibly close. Planet 69 00:03:35.800 --> 00:03:38.479 E whips around its star in just six point one 70 00:03:38.639 --> 00:03:39.199 earth days. 71 00:03:39.199 --> 00:03:41.280 That's its year, six days, six days. 72 00:03:41.360 --> 00:03:44.680 Compare that to our three sixty five. But because Trappis 73 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:47.159 one is so much cooler, so much dimmer than our sun, 74 00:03:47.319 --> 00:03:50.120 Plant E actually receives a similar amount of stellar energy 75 00:03:50.120 --> 00:03:53.120 to Earth. So this puts it squarely within that critical 76 00:03:53.159 --> 00:03:56.599 habitable zone. Temperatures are theoretically just right for liquid water, 77 00:03:56.680 --> 00:03:58.280 not so hot it boils away, and not so cold 78 00:03:58.280 --> 00:03:59.599 it's permanently frozen solid. 79 00:04:00.360 --> 00:04:03.360 And it's this initial draw the potential for liquid water, 80 00:04:03.439 --> 00:04:07.039 combined with its Earth like size, that immediately made Trappis 81 00:04:07.080 --> 00:04:10.800 one a top tier target for well for astrobiology research. 82 00:04:11.000 --> 00:04:14.879 Okay, so it ticks the big boxes, Earth sized in 83 00:04:14.919 --> 00:04:17.360 the habitable zone. That sounds like the perfect recipe. But 84 00:04:17.439 --> 00:04:21.279 you keep saying theoretical viability. What's the catch, what's the 85 00:04:21.279 --> 00:04:22.160 big uncertainty? 86 00:04:22.319 --> 00:04:23.000 You've nailed it. 87 00:04:23.079 --> 00:04:26.439 That's the absolutely critical point and a common misconception when 88 00:04:26.439 --> 00:04:29.959 people hear habitable zone. While Trappist one m really does 89 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:32.759 stand out its size, its position, the presence of liquid 90 00:04:32.759 --> 00:04:35.079 water isn't guaranteed at all, not by a long shot. 91 00:04:35.560 --> 00:04:39.839 It hinges entirely on one huge, still unanswered question, does 92 00:04:39.879 --> 00:04:41.439 planet actually have an atmosphere? 93 00:04:41.600 --> 00:04:41.800 Ah? 94 00:04:42.600 --> 00:04:43.439 Right, the at. 95 00:04:43.639 --> 00:04:46.480 Without an atmosphere, even in that sweet spot orbit, a 96 00:04:46.560 --> 00:04:50.120 planet's surface conditions could be completely hostile. You'd get wild 97 00:04:50.120 --> 00:04:52.639 temperature swings between the side facing the star and the 98 00:04:52.680 --> 00:04:56.279 side facing away. Any surface water could just boil off 99 00:04:56.399 --> 00:04:58.800 or freeze, or even subtle meate turns straight from mice 100 00:04:58.879 --> 00:05:01.319 to gas and just get lost to space over time. 101 00:05:01.920 --> 00:05:04.319 And this brings us right to the big mystery that 102 00:05:04.360 --> 00:05:07.759 the astrophysicists at the University of Bristol and a large 103 00:05:07.759 --> 00:05:11.439 international team are working so hard to solve. What this 104 00:05:11.519 --> 00:05:14.240 really highlights for you the listener is that finding a 105 00:05:14.279 --> 00:05:18.120 truly habitable world isn't just about location, location, location, It's 106 00:05:18.120 --> 00:05:21.000 not just the orbital address. It's about understanding the atmosphere, 107 00:05:21.079 --> 00:05:23.759 the planet's climate system. Really does it have one, what's 108 00:05:23.800 --> 00:05:25.959 it made of? How does it act as a thermostat 109 00:05:25.959 --> 00:05:28.759 and maybe a shield? That's what dictates if liquid water 110 00:05:28.800 --> 00:05:31.920 can actually stick around. It's a delicate balance, and Planet 111 00:05:31.920 --> 00:05:35.360 E is this fascinating test case that's really pushing our understanding. 112 00:05:35.480 --> 00:05:38.040 It's truly astonishing that we can even try to detect 113 00:05:38.079 --> 00:05:41.639 an atmosphere on a planet forty light years away. I mean, 114 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:44.000 how on Earth, or rather how off Earth does a 115 00:05:44.040 --> 00:05:48.040 telescope like JWSTEAM manage that sifting through all that starlight? 116 00:05:48.439 --> 00:05:49.800 What's the biggest challenge there? 117 00:05:49.959 --> 00:05:52.399 It is an incredible feed, and you're right, the challenges 118 00:05:52.439 --> 00:05:53.639 are immense. Think about it. 119 00:05:54.240 --> 00:05:57.920 We're essentially trying to find the tiny chemical signature of 120 00:05:57.959 --> 00:06:01.560 a planet's air, a world completely dwarfed by its star 121 00:06:01.639 --> 00:06:04.519 from trillions of miles away. This is where NASA's James 122 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:08.680 Webspace Telescope, the JWST comes in. It's not just another telescope. 123 00:06:08.720 --> 00:06:12.040 It's genuinely changing the game in exoplanet research. It's part 124 00:06:12.079 --> 00:06:14.839 of a major international collaboration too. You can think of 125 00:06:14.879 --> 00:06:18.319 it as humanity's most sensitive eye, specifically tuned to see 126 00:06:18.360 --> 00:06:21.000 in the infrared to see what was previously hidden from us. 127 00:06:21.120 --> 00:06:23.560 And it uses a specific instrument for this job, doesn't 128 00:06:23.560 --> 00:06:25.360 it the ni RESPEC exactly. 129 00:06:25.800 --> 00:06:30.399 Scientists are using one of JWST's workhorse instruments, ni I RESPEC, 130 00:06:30.600 --> 00:06:33.879 the Near Infrared spectrographs NOW in I respect, isn't just 131 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:37.800 splitting light like a simple prism. It's incredibly sensitive and 132 00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:41.040 specifically designed for the near infrared part of the spectrum, 133 00:06:41.240 --> 00:06:44.800 and that's crucial because that's the wavelength range where molecules 134 00:06:44.839 --> 00:06:48.120 we care about, like water, vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, leave 135 00:06:48.160 --> 00:06:50.079 their most distinct chemical fingerprints. 136 00:06:50.160 --> 00:06:52.439 Oh okay, and it's especially. 137 00:06:52.199 --> 00:06:55.600 Vital for looking at planets around cool red dwarf stars 138 00:06:56.040 --> 00:06:59.519 like trap Is to one, because these stars emit most 139 00:06:59.519 --> 00:07:02.199 of their life in the infrared, so it means any 140 00:07:02.319 --> 00:07:06.519 faint atmospheric signals are relatively speaking easier for JAST to 141 00:07:06.560 --> 00:07:09.720 read against the star's background infrared light compared to trying 142 00:07:09.720 --> 00:07:12.079 to see them invisible light, where a star like our 143 00:07:12.120 --> 00:07:15.040 sun shines brightest. It's like having special glasses that filter 144 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:18.519 out everything except the exact chemical signatures you're looking for 145 00:07:18.800 --> 00:07:19.680 cuts through the noise. 146 00:07:20.079 --> 00:07:22.279 So how do they actually use enerspect to do this? 147 00:07:22.600 --> 00:07:24.720 They can't just point it at the planet and see clouds, 148 00:07:24.720 --> 00:07:25.079 can they? 149 00:07:25.319 --> 00:07:27.759 No, not directly like that. It relies on a really 150 00:07:27.759 --> 00:07:31.800 clever technique called the transit method. Picture this from our 151 00:07:31.879 --> 00:07:35.439 viewpoint here on Earth, or rather from JWST's viewpoint in space. 152 00:07:35.920 --> 00:07:39.240 Planet E occasionally passes directly in front of its host star, 153 00:07:39.399 --> 00:07:42.879 Trappist One. This is called a transit. As it does, 154 00:07:43.040 --> 00:07:45.959 it blocks a tiny, tiny fraction of the star's light, 155 00:07:46.360 --> 00:07:49.319 causing a very slight dip in the star's overall brightness. 156 00:07:49.720 --> 00:07:51.920 That's actually how we often find these exoplanets in. 157 00:07:51.879 --> 00:07:52.399 The first place. 158 00:07:52.439 --> 00:07:54.839 Okay, I've heard of that, the dip in's starlight, right. 159 00:07:55.160 --> 00:07:58.519 But here's a really ingenious part for studying atmospheres. Just 160 00:07:58.519 --> 00:08:01.439 as the planet starts to cross or finishes crossing, some 161 00:08:01.560 --> 00:08:04.319 of the starlight grazes the edge of the planet. If 162 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:07.199 the planet has an atmosphere, that starlight passes through the 163 00:08:07.279 --> 00:08:09.399 upper layers of that atmosphere on its way to us. 164 00:08:09.560 --> 00:08:09.920 Ah. 165 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:11.879 Okay, the starlight gets. 166 00:08:11.680 --> 00:08:15.399 Filtered, exactly filtered. The chemicals present in. 167 00:08:15.360 --> 00:08:18.879 That atmosphere, if one exists, will absorb very specific wavelengths, 168 00:08:18.959 --> 00:08:23.439 specific colors of that starlight. Every molecule like water or 169 00:08:23.519 --> 00:08:26.920 CO two, has a unique absorption pattern, like a fingerprint 170 00:08:27.000 --> 00:08:31.040 or barcode in the infrared spectrum. So by carefully analyzing 171 00:08:31.079 --> 00:08:34.200 the starlight during these transits, using narspect to spread the 172 00:08:34.240 --> 00:08:36.840 light into its full spectrum, astronomers can look for these 173 00:08:36.919 --> 00:08:41.600 characteristic dips missing wavelengths within the starlight. Those dips tell 174 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:44.639 them precisely what chemicals are present in the planet's atmosphere. 175 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:48.279 It's incredibly precise. Work needs super stable instruments and long 176 00:08:48.360 --> 00:08:51.879 observation times, and with each additional transit they observe. Each 177 00:08:51.919 --> 00:08:54.320 time Planet E passes in front of the star and 178 00:08:54.399 --> 00:08:58.200 JWST gathers more light, the signal gets stronger. The atmosphere 179 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:00.960 of contents, or indeed the lack of them, become clearer 180 00:09:01.000 --> 00:09:04.200 and clearer. It's like building up a picture transit by transit, 181 00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:06.679 adding more data points to map out what might be 182 00:09:06.799 --> 00:09:08.000 a truly alien sky. 183 00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:09.279 That's absolutely incredible. 184 00:09:09.320 --> 00:09:12.720 It really sounds like the JAWST specific infrared capabilities are 185 00:09:12.759 --> 00:09:13.759 the game changer here. 186 00:09:13.919 --> 00:09:14.600 They truly are. 187 00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:17.919 Doctor Hannah Wakeford, who is an associate professor in astrophysics 188 00:09:17.919 --> 00:09:20.679 at the University of Bristol and a key member of 189 00:09:20.679 --> 00:09:25.559 this JWST Transitting exoplanet team. She was instrumental in designing 190 00:09:25.600 --> 00:09:29.600 the actual observational setup for the telescope. That kind of 191 00:09:29.639 --> 00:09:32.080 meticulous planning is vital to make sure they get the 192 00:09:32.120 --> 00:09:36.279 best possible data for these extremely delicate measurements. As doctor 193 00:09:36.279 --> 00:09:41.120 Wayford herself put it, JWST's infrared instruments are providing unprecedented detail, 194 00:09:41.360 --> 00:09:44.080 helping us understand much more about what determines the planet's 195 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:47.039 atmosphere and surface environment and what they're composed of. 196 00:09:47.320 --> 00:09:49.440 You can really feel the excitement. 197 00:09:49.200 --> 00:09:49.960 Oh absolutely. 198 00:09:50.000 --> 00:09:52.559 She also said, it's incredibly exciting to be peeling back 199 00:09:52.639 --> 00:09:55.519 the curtain on these fascinating other worlds, measuring the details 200 00:09:55.519 --> 00:09:58.759 of starlight around Earth sized planets to ascertain what it 201 00:09:58.840 --> 00:10:01.039 might be like if life could be possible. 202 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:01.399 Right. 203 00:10:01.879 --> 00:10:04.799 As she mentioned, it's this careful process of elimination and 204 00:10:04.879 --> 00:10:08.440 comparison that's leading to these great new insights really shifting 205 00:10:08.440 --> 00:10:12.039 our understanding of planetary science. It's just a stunning testament 206 00:10:12.039 --> 00:10:14.879 to human ingenuity, isn't it our drive to explore? Lets 207 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:17.000 us ask and now start to answer questions that we're 208 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:20.480 pure science fiction, just a generation to go, this technological 209 00:10:20.559 --> 00:10:24.399 leap with JWST. It just pushes our cosmic reach further 210 00:10:24.440 --> 00:10:28.279 than ever before, giving us these tantalizing glimpses into previously 211 00:10:28.320 --> 00:10:29.360 inaccessible worlds. 212 00:10:29.840 --> 00:10:33.399 So, after all that incredible BEATA collection, all that painstaking analysis, 213 00:10:33.799 --> 00:10:38.159 what does it actually mean for planetes potential atmosphere? What 214 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:40.519 are the headlines coming out of these first observations the 215 00:10:40.519 --> 00:10:41.720 big reveals. 216 00:10:41.360 --> 00:10:43.759 Well, the initial results are now published actually across two 217 00:10:43.759 --> 00:10:48.759 fevored papers in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Yeah, well they're fascinating, 218 00:10:48.919 --> 00:10:52.840 but also, as science often is quite nuanced and cautiously presented, 219 00:10:53.240 --> 00:10:56.120 they're definitely what they call hints of an atmosphere. That's 220 00:10:56.159 --> 00:10:56.879 a key. 221 00:10:56.679 --> 00:10:58.840 Phrase, and it's okay, not a slam dunk yet. 222 00:10:58.720 --> 00:11:01.440 Not a slam dunk now, to be really precise here, 223 00:11:01.679 --> 00:11:05.320 as doctor Wakeford explained, the possibility that there's simply nothing there, 224 00:11:05.679 --> 00:11:09.159 no significant atmosphere at all can't be completely ruled out 225 00:11:09.200 --> 00:11:11.960 just yet based on this initial data. It's very much 226 00:11:12.759 --> 00:11:16.320 a careful process of elimination like cosmic detective work unfolding 227 00:11:16.360 --> 00:11:19.039 as we speak, comparing the data to different models. So 228 00:11:19.080 --> 00:11:22.799 it's not a definitive yes or no right now, but 229 00:11:22.879 --> 00:11:25.799 the picture is getting clearer, and crucially, we're starting to 230 00:11:25.840 --> 00:11:29.200 understand what Planet EA's atmosphere isn't which is often just 231 00:11:29.240 --> 00:11:30.240 as important in science. 232 00:11:30.320 --> 00:11:31.639 Okay, so what isn't it? 233 00:11:31.679 --> 00:11:33.919 What have they managed to definitively rule out with these 234 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:35.480 first JWST looks. 235 00:11:35.639 --> 00:11:38.080 This is actually one of the most definitive findings so far, 236 00:11:38.279 --> 00:11:41.720 real revelation. The researchers are pretty confident that planet E 237 00:11:41.919 --> 00:11:44.679 does not have its original primordial atmosphere. 238 00:11:44.759 --> 00:11:46.039 It's original atmosphere. 239 00:11:46.120 --> 00:11:48.720 Yeah, this is a really crucial piece of the puzzle. 240 00:11:49.080 --> 00:11:51.919 It immediately crosses off a major possibility and tells us 241 00:11:51.960 --> 00:11:56.159 something fundamental about the planet's history and its environment. To 242 00:11:56.240 --> 00:11:58.679 unpack that a bit, we're talking about what's called a 243 00:11:58.759 --> 00:12:03.720 primordial hideen based atmosphere. This is basically the initial gas 244 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:07.320 envelope mostly hydrogen and helium that a planet gathers from 245 00:12:07.320 --> 00:12:10.000 the disc it forms in. Think of it as the 246 00:12:10.120 --> 00:12:13.960 leftover gas from the planet's birth cloud. These are thought 247 00:12:14.000 --> 00:12:16.679 to be pretty common for young planets both gas giants 248 00:12:16.679 --> 00:12:18.759 and rocky ones like Earth way back in the early 249 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:19.480 Solar System. 250 00:12:19.600 --> 00:12:21.519 So like baby Earth might have had one of these 251 00:12:21.559 --> 00:12:23.120 fluffy hydrogen atmospheres. 252 00:12:23.200 --> 00:12:27.080 That's the idea, yes, But for Planet E, the JWST 253 00:12:27.279 --> 00:12:30.399 data strongly suggests this isn't the case anywhere it's gone. 254 00:12:30.679 --> 00:12:33.519 Doctor David Grant, who was a senior research associated Bristol 255 00:12:33.559 --> 00:12:36.759 and a co author, explained why. He pointed out that 256 00:12:36.799 --> 00:12:40.440 trappist One, the parent star, is a very active star 257 00:12:40.639 --> 00:12:43.519 with frequent flares. Ah the star itself is the culprit. 258 00:12:43.720 --> 00:12:46.639 It seems very likely these aren't just gentle flickers. They 259 00:12:46.639 --> 00:12:51.519 are intense bursts of radiation, powerful stellar winds, high energy 260 00:12:51.559 --> 00:12:55.480 particles blasting out from the star over billions of years. 261 00:12:55.840 --> 00:12:59.480 This constant barrage, especially when the planet was young, would 262 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:01.360 have acted like a cosmic sand blaster. 263 00:13:01.840 --> 00:13:02.480 It would have just. 264 00:13:02.840 --> 00:13:07.159 Stripped off by stellar radiation. Any light easily removed gases 265 00:13:07.200 --> 00:13:11.399 like hydrogen and helium, so that initial primordial atmosphere, if 266 00:13:11.440 --> 00:13:13.799 it ever had one, would likely have been blown away 267 00:13:13.840 --> 00:13:16.919 into space relatively early in the planet's history. It's a 268 00:13:16.960 --> 00:13:19.159 harsh place to grow up orbardly. 269 00:13:18.799 --> 00:13:22.039 Speaking, right, that makes sense A very active star would 270 00:13:22.039 --> 00:13:24.919 make it hard to hold onto light gases. So if 271 00:13:24.960 --> 00:13:27.639 it doesn't have its primordial atmosphere, does that just mean 272 00:13:27.679 --> 00:13:30.799 it's a barren rock now or is there another possibility? 273 00:13:31.000 --> 00:13:32.840 And this is where it gets really interesting and hopeful. 274 00:13:32.960 --> 00:13:36.039 This leads us directly to the concept of a secondary atmosphere. 275 00:13:36.360 --> 00:13:39.720 Doctor Wakeford pointed this out specifically. She noted many planets, 276 00:13:39.799 --> 00:13:43.240 including Earth, build up a heavier secondary atmosphere after losing 277 00:13:43.279 --> 00:13:45.039 their primary atmosphere. 278 00:13:44.559 --> 00:13:45.200 Like Earth did. 279 00:13:45.519 --> 00:13:49.120 Exactly like Earth did, our early hydrogen helium atmosphere was 280 00:13:49.159 --> 00:13:53.399 lost too, but then over millions billions of years, processes 281 00:13:53.440 --> 00:13:57.720 like volcanic outgasing released heavier gases from the planet's interior, 282 00:13:57.919 --> 00:14:01.799 things like carbon dioxide, water, vapor, nitrogen, and then, of 283 00:14:01.799 --> 00:14:05.440 course life eventually reshaped or atmosphere dramatically by adding oxygen. 284 00:14:05.799 --> 00:14:08.720 The point is planets can generate a new atmosphere from within, 285 00:14:09.039 --> 00:14:11.799 So this is the current frontier for Planet E. As 286 00:14:11.919 --> 00:14:14.519 doctor Wakefort put it, it is possible Planet E was 287 00:14:14.559 --> 00:14:17.159 never able to do this and doesn't have a secondary atmosphere, 288 00:14:17.399 --> 00:14:19.759 but there's an equal chance one does exist. Ah, so 289 00:14:19.799 --> 00:14:22.279 the jury is still out, but the possibility is definitely 290 00:14:22.320 --> 00:14:26.480 there precisely while that initial hydrogen cloak is gone. The 291 00:14:26.600 --> 00:14:30.279 chance that it generated a new heavier atmosphere, maybe rich 292 00:14:30.320 --> 00:14:33.679 in CO two, maybe nitrogen, maybe even water vapor released 293 00:14:33.720 --> 00:14:36.600 from its rocks and magma over time, that remains very 294 00:14:36.639 --> 00:14:39.360 much an open question. The data doesn't rule it out. 295 00:14:39.399 --> 00:14:42.200 It really is like that detective analogy, figuring out what's 296 00:14:42.240 --> 00:14:45.360 not there. The primordial atmosphere is just as important for 297 00:14:45.440 --> 00:14:48.559 narrowing down the possibilities as finding clues about what might 298 00:14:48.600 --> 00:14:51.440 be there. And it also really underscores how dynamic these 299 00:14:51.480 --> 00:14:54.840 stellar environments are, especially around these active red dwarfs. They 300 00:14:54.840 --> 00:14:58.000 can completely reshape a planet's atmospheric destiny. It's not a 301 00:14:58.039 --> 00:15:02.279 static picture. It's an ongoing cosmic drama of atmospheric survival. 302 00:15:02.519 --> 00:15:05.000 Okay, So if Planet E does manage to have that 303 00:15:05.080 --> 00:15:08.399 secondary atmosphere, that heavier one, what's the next domino to 304 00:15:08.480 --> 00:15:10.960 fall in this whole cosmic puzzle. Does that automatically mean 305 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:13.840 liquid water because that seems to be the holy grail here. 306 00:15:14.039 --> 00:15:17.399 That's exactly right. The potential for liquid water is the 307 00:15:17.399 --> 00:15:20.960 next crucial link in the chain. And yes, if a 308 00:15:21.000 --> 00:15:25.200 secondary atmosphere exists, then liquid water could certainly persist on 309 00:15:25.240 --> 00:15:29.200 the surface, and if that's the case, researchers are pretty 310 00:15:29.200 --> 00:15:32.919 confident it would almost certainly require and be accompanied by 311 00:15:33.320 --> 00:15:37.039 a greenhouse effect, something basically similar in principle to what 312 00:15:37.080 --> 00:15:38.039 happens here on Earth. 313 00:15:38.159 --> 00:15:41.039 The greenhouse effect keeping it warm enough. 314 00:15:40.879 --> 00:15:44.919 Exactly certain gases in that atmosphere. Carbon dioxide is a 315 00:15:44.919 --> 00:15:48.720 prime candidate, but maybe methane or water vapor too, would 316 00:15:48.720 --> 00:15:51.120 trap some of the heat radiating for the planet's surface, 317 00:15:51.480 --> 00:15:55.120 heat that originally came from the star. This trapped heat 318 00:15:55.240 --> 00:15:57.639 keeps the planet warmer than it would be otherwise, and 319 00:15:57.679 --> 00:16:00.759 critically it helps stabilize the temperature, ending all the water 320 00:16:00.799 --> 00:16:04.320 from just freezing solid or boiling away instantly. Without a 321 00:16:04.320 --> 00:16:08.600 reasonably significant greenhouse effect, even with an atmosphere, the average 322 00:16:08.600 --> 00:16:11.080 surface temperature might just be too low for liquid water, 323 00:16:11.440 --> 00:16:13.960 or you'd get such extreme temperature swings between the day 324 00:16:14.000 --> 00:16:16.759 and night sides that water couldn't remain liquid reliably. 325 00:16:17.200 --> 00:16:20.639 Now, when we hear a greenhouse effect, a lot of 326 00:16:20.720 --> 00:16:25.559 us immediately picture Venus right with that incredibly thick runaway 327 00:16:25.600 --> 00:16:29.320 carbon dioxide atmosphere and surface temperatures hot enough to melt lead. 328 00:16:29.919 --> 00:16:32.000 Is that the kind of scenario we might be looking 329 00:16:32.080 --> 00:16:32.840 at for Planet E. 330 00:16:33.399 --> 00:16:36.440 That's a really important question, and it's vital we add 331 00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:39.879 some nuance there. The lead author on the theoretical interpretation paper, 332 00:16:39.919 --> 00:16:43.919 doctor Anna Glidden from MIT, specifically addressed this. She explained 333 00:16:43.960 --> 00:16:46.240 that based on their modeling and the current data, it 334 00:16:46.279 --> 00:16:49.120 is unlikely the atmosphere of planet E is dominated by 335 00:16:49.120 --> 00:16:52.080 carbon dioxide like the thick atmosphere of Venus and the 336 00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:53.240 thin atmosphere of Mars. 337 00:16:53.320 --> 00:16:56.480 Okay, so not like Venus, whew, and not like Mars either. 338 00:16:56.480 --> 00:16:59.519 Apparently not dominated by CO two in the way either 339 00:16:59.559 --> 00:17:03.639 of those are, which suggests something potentially different. Doctor Glidden 340 00:17:03.679 --> 00:17:06.680 also emphasized, but it's also important to note there are 341 00:17:06.720 --> 00:17:10.599 no direct parallels with our solar system. Trappist One is 342 00:17:10.640 --> 00:17:13.400 a very different star from our Sun, and the planetary 343 00:17:13.440 --> 00:17:17.960 system around it is also distinct. That's a really key takeaway. 344 00:17:18.240 --> 00:17:21.079 We're dealing with an alien solar system, an alien star. 345 00:17:21.480 --> 00:17:24.680 We shouldn't expect things to look exactly like Earth, Venus 346 00:17:24.839 --> 00:17:28.720 or Mars. The conditions, the history, the chemistry could all 347 00:17:28.759 --> 00:17:29.279 be unique. 348 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:32.000 Okay, so maybe not Venus like, maybe not Mars like, 349 00:17:32.279 --> 00:17:35.119 but some CO two could still be really important, couldn't 350 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:36.039 it for that warming effect? 351 00:17:36.160 --> 00:17:39.200 Precisely, even if CO two isn't the main component, it 352 00:17:39.240 --> 00:17:42.359 could still play that crucial greenhouse role. And doctor Wakeford 353 00:17:42.400 --> 00:17:44.839 added a very encouraging detail on this point. She said, 354 00:17:45.119 --> 00:17:47.440 a little greenhouse effect can go a long way. And 355 00:17:47.480 --> 00:17:50.400 the new measurements do not rule out sufficient carbon dioxide 356 00:17:50.599 --> 00:17:52.759 to sustain some liquid water on the surface. 357 00:17:52.960 --> 00:17:55.160 Ah not ruled out. That sounds significant. 358 00:17:55.359 --> 00:17:58.960 It is significant in scientific terms. It means the observations 359 00:17:59.000 --> 00:18:01.880 we have so far are still perfectly consistent, whether it 360 00:18:01.960 --> 00:18:05.559 being enough CO two or perhaps other greenhouse gases to 361 00:18:05.640 --> 00:18:08.880 keep the surface temperature above freezing at least in some places. 362 00:18:09.599 --> 00:18:12.720 It means the possibility of liquid water enabled by a 363 00:18:12.720 --> 00:18:16.240 modest greenhouse effect remains firmly on the table based on 364 00:18:16.279 --> 00:18:19.720 this initial JWST data. That's a major step forward. Now, 365 00:18:19.759 --> 00:18:21.759 let's just imagine for a second what that liquid water 366 00:18:21.839 --> 00:18:24.319 might actually look like on such a well, such a 367 00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:27.240 unique world. Because it might not be a global ocean 368 00:18:27.319 --> 00:18:29.680 like Earth's, the water could potentially take one of two 369 00:18:29.720 --> 00:18:32.559 main forms. Maybe it is a global ocean covering most 370 00:18:32.559 --> 00:18:35.119 of the planet, a true water world, or and this 371 00:18:35.240 --> 00:18:37.440 is where the unique environment that the system really comes 372 00:18:37.480 --> 00:18:40.720 into play, the water might only cover a smaller specific area, 373 00:18:41.160 --> 00:18:43.880 perhaps a region where the star is at perpetual noon 374 00:18:44.240 --> 00:18:45.200 surrounded by ice. 375 00:18:45.599 --> 00:18:47.759 Perpetual noon surrounded by ice. 376 00:18:47.799 --> 00:18:50.799 That sounds incredibly bizarre, like an eyeball staring at the star. 377 00:18:50.839 --> 00:18:52.480 I think I've heard that term eyeball planet. 378 00:18:52.720 --> 00:18:56.920 That's exactly the concept the eyeball, or sometimes lava lamp 379 00:18:56.960 --> 00:19:01.039 ocean configuration, and as a direct consequence of something called 380 00:19:01.079 --> 00:19:01.799 tidal locking. 381 00:19:02.039 --> 00:19:04.400 Tidal locking like our moon. 382 00:19:04.359 --> 00:19:07.519 Decisely like our moon because the trapis one planets are 383 00:19:07.559 --> 00:19:10.079 relatively large compared to their small star, and because the 384 00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:13.240 orbits so incredibly close, the star's gravity has locked their rotation. 385 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:16.039 What this means is that one side of Planet E 386 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:20.599 always faces the star, experiencing perpetual daylight, while the other 387 00:19:20.720 --> 00:19:24.319 side is permanently turned away, plunged into perpetual darkness and cold. 388 00:19:24.640 --> 00:19:27.480 Wow, a permanent day side and a permanent night side. 389 00:19:27.559 --> 00:19:32.559 Exactly Unlike Earth, which rotates, distributing heat more evenly, Planet 390 00:19:32.599 --> 00:19:36.079 E would have this stark contrast. So if liquid water exists, 391 00:19:36.119 --> 00:19:37.920 the most likely place for it to pool and persist 392 00:19:37.920 --> 00:19:41.359 would be on that permanently warm day side. Maybe concentrated 393 00:19:41.440 --> 00:19:44.440 near the point directly facing the star, the substellar point. 394 00:19:44.799 --> 00:19:47.640 This could form that eyeball ocean, a large patch of 395 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:51.160 liquid water facing the star, potentially surrounded by glaciers, or 396 00:19:51.200 --> 00:19:53.799 a vast frozen ice sheet covering the twilight zones and 397 00:19:53.839 --> 00:19:55.039 the entire dark side. 398 00:19:55.160 --> 00:19:58.480 That paints such a drastically alien picture, not Earth two 399 00:19:58.519 --> 00:20:01.279 point zero, but something entirely different. What would the conditions 400 00:20:01.279 --> 00:20:02.880 even be like near that ocean? 401 00:20:02.960 --> 00:20:08.400