Giant planet emerges from two-year-old JWST data thanks to glare-removal technique

A new computational technique called FLIP has enabled astronomers to detect a giant exoplanet, 51 Eri b, in JWST data that had previously been too faint to see. The method, developed by a Northwestern University-led team, removes starlight glare to reveal planets that are a million times fainter than their stars. The technique improved the telescope's sensitivity by up to 15 times. The team used FLIP to analyze JWST observations of 51 Eri, a star that hosts the exoplanet, and found that the planet's signal was detectable despite the glare. The planet's atmosphere absorbed light at the infrared wavelength that JWST observes, making the signal even fainter. The detection was made possible by FLIP's ability to simulate how starlight travels through the telescope's mirrors and account for tiny imperfections.

• FLIP is a physics-based learning method that creates a digital twin of the telescope to simulate starlight travel.
• The method accounts for small shifts in position and distortions in optics.
• FLIP improved sensitivity by 2 to 15 times compared to conventional techniques.
• The team reanalyzed past JWST observations to detect 51 Eri b, a previously hidden planet.
• The planet's signal was so faint that conventional processing could not distinguish it from residual glare.

The discovery highlights the importance of advanced image-processing techniques in astronomy. The method demonstrates that even with the most powerful telescopes, there are challenges in detecting faint planets due to the overwhelming brightness of stars. FLIP's success shows that combining physics-based modeling with machine learning can overcome these challenges. The technique could enable astronomers to discover smaller, colder, and fainter planets without modifying the telescopes themselves. The study, published in Nature, demonstrates that with the right tools, even the most difficult astronomical problems can be solved.

AI-generated summary of the original article — see the source for the full story.