JWST has taken the most DETAILED spectrum of an exoplanet EVER

JWST has taken a DIRECT spectrum of an exoplanet mass object (it could be a failed star, the jury is still out on that one) and it is the most detailed, beautiful spectrum you ever did see. It's revealed the existence of silicates (think sand) in the atmosphere and suggests it has very dusty clouds and storms. It's also orbiting around TWO stars, so there's been a lot of comparisons to Tatooine from Star Wars! #jwst #astronomy #astrophysics

00:00 - Introduction
00:23 - VHS 1256b properties
01:45 - Exoplanet vs brown dwarf vs red dwarf
02:48 - Why VHS 1256b was chosen to be observed by JWST
04:28 - The plan with JWST: what is a spectrum
05:17 - What a spectrum of a planet can tell us
05:54 - What is VHS 1256b's atmosphere made of?
07:30 - Future work hunting for deuterium - is VHS 1256b a planet or a failed star?
09:14 - Outro
09:38 - Bloopers

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👩🏽‍💻 I'm Dr. Becky Smethurst, an astrophysicist at the University of Oxford (Christ Church). I love making videos about science with an unnatural level of enthusiasm. I like to focus on how we know things, not just what we know. And especially, the things we still don't know. If you've ever wondered about something in space and couldn't find an answer online - you can ask me! My day job is to do research into how supermassive black holes can affect the galaxies that they live in. In particular, I look at whether the energy output from the disk of material orbiting around a growing supermassive black hole can stop a galaxy from forming stars.

[andrewpennock]

Whoever this Collaborators person is, they help out a lot

[ivoivanov]

Back in 1993, in the "Master Of Orion" game there was a technology named "Advanced Space Scanner" that reveals the properties of distant planets. At that time it was pure fiction, not even scientific, and I didn't expected I would see similar technology in real life!
The spectrum of an exoplanet's (or failed star) atmosphere, with traces of silicates and stuff... Amazing, simply amazing!

[tau]

You can tell how passionate Becky is with her job and channel. I love it, keep it up!

[AndyGabrielPowell]

Astronomy has never been so exciting, or presented with so much enthusiasm. This has brightened what has been a difficult anniversary for me personally. Thank you Dr Becky.

[MoonlightKnight]

I really do love how animated you get when you are excited (passionate?!) about what's going on. Please never lose your spark Doc.

[annando]

We've gone really far from the discovery of the first exoplanets in the 90s to a full spectrum of an exoplanet!

[scottrobinson]

I had the pleasure of hosting Dr Beth Biller (2nd author on the Miles et al paper) for a seminar on this research the day the press release went out.

Really exciting research! I work on higher-resolution ground-based spectroscopy, but I'm a little jealous of the lucky people who work with the Webb data!

[michaellong]

Another good presentation on recent findings and how much the JWST data is adding to our understanding of space around us. I would like to make one minor suggestion - not every time, but occasionally go into a little more detail on those spectrograph charts and how the certain lines and spikes show specific molecules. Sometimes I've seen graphs that look rather obvious, but occasionally the various emission lines are not as obvious to other than trained researchers. Great job on your explanations.

[cathysandy]

I LOVE your channel. I have recommended it to so many friends and family who have since told me that they love it as well!! Keep up the excitement and the great videos. Your enthusiasm and knowledge continue to blow me away. Love, love, love!

[risingpath]

Dr. Becky is my favorite nerd. Her enthusiasm for astrophysics tickles my soul. I only wish I could understand half of the math involved with what she is saying. I love astronomy. ❤

[Nethershaw]

It is genuinely heartwarming to see how excited Dr. Becky gets.

[scottduede]

This is definitely squee-inducing use of the JWST. Kudos to you, Dr. Becky; I really appreciate what you are doing to present the materials you are reviewing in your videos. You are amazing; please continue providing astronomy data!

[Brent-D]

Thank you Becky, this is facinating information. Looking forward to more.

[SebSN-yf]

Hello dr Becky, thank you for your great work! I always enjoy watching your videos and I'm always amazed. All the best to you, your channel and your loved ones!

[Valeryp]

I love your enthusiasm compared to the existential dread you find in most space videos. I think I'll stick around.
Thanks for your video, You remind me of a certain math teacher.

[robertlee]

as a side note ... i love the end credits / bloopers! it definitely keeps me watching to the *very* end :)

[uglybob]

JWST is just the gift that just keeps on giving ! I thought that we had our expectations set high with Hubble but we're not disappointed with the data that JWST is we get decades of use out of this.

[i-love-space]

So our attempts at fusion are not attempts to model a star, but attempts to model a Brown Dwarf. You are a fountain of knowledge in your field. Completely fascinating. You are truly an intellectual Goddess.

[braydenroberts]

This is so awesome! I have been lucky enough to look at the spectra of this exoplanet (and in particular the silicate absorption bands) in my undergraduate research and it is awesome! I am also super excited because we will be observing a brown dwarf with prominent silicate absorption (J0624) on Monday, April 3rd with JWST. Exciting stuff is going on in the astrophysics community

[MechaTrekAD]

I absolutely love listening to you. Aside from the information - which fascinates me - and your enthusiasm for it, I have to admit to finding your voice adorable! More Dr. Becky is always a joy!