IIA researchers develop model to find exomoons around distant stars

Two researchers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, have developed a model that can use the data obtained from the recently-launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to confirm the presence of these elusive exomoons.

Soon, astronomers peering into the deep skies could get a tad luckier in identifying the yet undiscovered exomoons – a moon which revolves around distant stars. Two researchers from the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA), Bengaluru, have developed a model that can use the data obtained from the recently-launched James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to confirm the presence of these elusive exomoons.

Launched in December 2021, the JWST is a combined effort of scientists from NASA, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency. With a primary mirror measuring 6.5 metres in diameter, JWST is the largest and the most advanced space-based telescope built so far. This mirror comprises 18 gold-plated hexagonal segments and can function in the infrared, visible and mid-infrared wavelengths and will be used to study the unexplored areas of our universe.

While over 5,000 exoplanets — a planet outside our solar system and revolving around another star — have been discovered so far, astronomers are yet to confirm the detection of any exomoon. This is mainly because of limited observational capacities even when both the ground and space-based telescopes are combined. Besides, the moons are too small in size than the planets, thus underlining the need for strong signal detection capacities by telescopes.

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