A team of researchers is investigating young exoplanets that formed around the same time dinosaurs roamed the Earth, unlocking secrets about planetary formation and evolution.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and powerful computational models, the KRONOS program—a collaboration between Michigan State University, Arizona State University, and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory—aims to analyze the atmospheres of planets that are less than 300 million years old.

The Challenge Of Studying Young Worlds

One of the biggest mysteries in astronomy is how planets form. While over 6,000 exoplanets have been discovered, their formation processes remain elusive. The challenge is that young exoplanets are difficult to detect and even harder to study due to their faint signals and complex atmospheric compositions.

To overcome this, the KRONOS team has secured 154 hours on JWST to study seven young exoplanets in unprecedented detail. By observing how their atmospheres interact with starlight, scientists hope to determine their chemical compositions and gain insights into their early evolution.

How Planetary Atmospheres Reveal Their Secrets

When an exoplanet passes in front of its host star—a process known as transit—some of the starlight filters through the planet’s atmosphere. Molecules like water, carbon dioxide, and methane absorb specific wavelengths of light, creating a spectral fingerprint that reveals the planet’s atmospheric composition.

By analyzing these signals at different wavelengths, astronomers can determine what gases are present and how they evolve over time.

Supercomputers Unlocking Planetary Mysteries

Interpreting these atmospheric signatures requires complex models and immense computing power. The KRONOS project has been granted 22 million hours on Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) supercomputers to simulate planetary atmospheres with unprecedented accuracy.

These physics-driven models allow researchers to explore the interplay between temperature, pressure, and chemical reactions in exoplanet atmospheres. The insights gained will help scientists refine theories about planetary formation, bridging the gap between observations and theoretical models.

Expanding the Study Beyond Seven Planets

While KRONOS is initially focusing on seven key exoplanets, the project has even bigger ambitions. The team plans to create atmospheric models for all 70 exoplanets observed by JWST so far.

An endeavor to uniformly model such a large sample of planets – from scorching worlds more massive than Jupiter, to temperate and small Earth-mass planets – has yet to be undertaken,”said Peter McGill, principal investigator at LLNL.

A New Era Of Exoplanet Discovery

Scientists are exploring young exoplanets that formed around the same time dinosaurs walked the Earth. These distant worlds, less than 300 million years old, could hold vital clues about how planets form and evolve.

The KRONOS program is using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to study the atmospheres of these planets. The insights gained from these studies may also help determine whether some of these young planets could one day support life.