New telescope to spy on planet’s atmosphere

NASA’s new James Webb space telescope is to work out the exact make-up of Proxima b’s atmosphere.

Planet hunters are waiting impatiently for 2018, when NASA launches its new James Webb space telescope. The mirror has a 6.5 m diameter, and scientists hope that the observations will reveal the density and makeup of Proxima b’s atmosphere, determining whether the planet is habitable.

The telescope measures the wavelengths of the light from the star that passes through the planet’s atmosphere. Different molecules and water drops dim different wavelengths, so the observations cannot only reveal the makeup and density of the atmosphere, but also whether the planet is covered in clouds.