JWST Ruled Out Finding Tiny Moons Around An Exoplanet - That's Great News

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has been unable to detect any exomoons around exoplanets, despite its advanced capabilities. A new paper by David Kipping, an astronomer at Columbia University, shows that JWST can find exomoons by analyzing multiple transits of the same exoplanet. The study used data from the exoplanet LP 890-9 c, which orbits a red dwarf star at a distance that makes it potentially habitable. The paper demonstrates that by combining data from multiple transits, the telescope can detect exomoons even when individual transits are affected by "red noise," which is caused by slow, wandering changes in the detector. The study found that no exomoon larger than 0.1 Earth radii was detected, even after combining data from twelve transits. This is the most sensitive exomoon hunt ever conducted outside our solar system. The research highlights that JWST is capable of detecting small exomoons, but the challenge lies in the need for multiple transits and sufficient time on the telescope. The study also notes that the exoplanet's extreme tidal forces would likely strip any potential moons away or cause them to form rings, making the discovery of an exomoon around LP 890-9 c unlikely in the near future.

• LP 890-9 c is an exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star at 105 light years.
• The exoplanet has an 8.46-day orbital period and is in the habitable zone of its star.
• The study used data from twelve transits of the exoplanet, combining data from multiple transits to detect an exomoon.
• The study found no exomoon larger than 0.1 Earth radii around LP 890-9 c.
• The research shows that JWST is capable of detecting small exomoons if enough transits are observed.
• The exoplanet's extreme tidal forces would likely strip any potential moons away or cause them to form rings.

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