Secrets of a Hot Saturn and its Spotted Star Unlocked by McGill, Université de Montréal Astronomers

Article by: Claire Loewen, Media Relations, McGill University

"Led by researchers from the Trottier Institute for Research on Exoplanets at McGill University and the Université de Montréal (UdeM), a team of astronomers harnessed the power of the revolutionary Webb Telescope to study HAT-P-18 b. Their findings, detailed in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS), provide a comprehensive portrait of the hot Saturn’s atmosphere while delving into the complexities of distinguishing atmospheric signals from stellar activity.

“The James Webb Space Telescope provides exoplanet observations so precise that we are limited by our understanding of their host stars. Fortunately, those same data- especially with the made-in-Canada NIRISS instrument- allow us to measure what the star is doing during our observations and correct for it, so we can figure out exactly what is in these planets' atmospheres,” said Nicolas Cowan, Professor in McGill University’s Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences"

Read the McGill Article here

Read the original study here