What can sunspots on other stars teach astronomers about exoplanet atmospheres? This is what a recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal hopes to address as a team of scientists investigated a novel method for mapping the surfaces of stars, specifically regarding sunspots that is caused by solar activity. This study has the potential to help scientists better understand the processes of other stars that could provide insights into the exoplanets orbiting them.
For the study, the researchers presented a new computer modeling software called StarryStarryProcess designed to use planetary transits, when a planet passes in front of its star, to identify sunspots. As noted, sunspots are caused by solar activity as observed in our solar system. However, stars outside our solar system have traditionally been “observed” as being flat, motionless disks. But this study not only aims to help shed new light (no pun intended) on stars, but their planets, as well. In the end, the new model successfully helped the team identify evidence for sunspots on TOI-3884, which is located 141 light-years from Earth, along with helping to distinguish data regarding solar activity from exoplanet activity.
“Knowing more about the star in turn helps us learn even more about the planet, like a feedback loop,” said Dr. Brett Morris, who is a senior software engineer at the Space Telescope Science Institute and a co-author on the study. “For example, at cool enough temperatures, stars can have water vapor in their atmospheres. If we want to look for water in the atmospheres of planets around those stars — a key indicator of habitability — we better be very sure that we’re not confusing the two.”
As of this writing, almost 6,000 exoplanets have been confirmed to exist by NASA, with approximately 74.2 percent of them being discovered via the transit method. Therefore, this study could open the door for using the transit method.to conduct research regarding stars and the exoplanets that orbit them.
What new discoveries about sunspots and exoplanet atmospheres will researchers make in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: The Astrophysical Journal, EurekAlert!
Featured Image Credit: NASA