<p>How is accurate spectral analysis of a planets atmosphere achieved, bearing in mind that its host star's resultant light emission is not a full spectrum?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-06T13:38:21.447Z
This is a how long is a piece of string question. There is no answer that can be given within the terms specified by the question.
ProfRob
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-06T15:26:13.903Z
And this is cross posted https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/372928/spectroscopy-of-exoplanets
J. Chomel
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-06T16:37:37.610Z
I think the answer right now is somewhere in between not good to barely seeing anything at all.   With luck, the James Webb Space Telescope will be a 10 fold, maybe 100 fold increase in this specific area of research.    I agree that precise answers are hard to give for "how accurate" questions, but I think asking for general answers on accuracy should be accepted and not discouraged.    This would be a better question after James Webb starts to produce data though.
userLTK
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-06T18:05:28.607Z
I agree with userLTK: At the moment there is no accurate spectral analysis of planetary atmospheres. Surely not to the level where we can unambigously identify molecules & atoms. Only in a few lucky cases there were strong indicators of water & other things.
AtmosphericPrisonEscape
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-12-07T22:03:11.037Z
JWST is expected to do that. here is an example paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/1511.05528 perhaps a big advantage JWST will have is that it can zoom in on a star system, and occlude the star itself using it's selective light filter apparatus.
bandybabboon
<spectroscopy>
Spectroscopy of Exoplanets
user21951
# Spectroscopy of Exoplanets

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-12-06)

How is accurate spectral analysis of a planets atmosphere achieved, bearing in mind that its host star's resultant light emission is not a full spectrum?

**Tags:** spectroscopy

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: This is a how long is a piece of string question. There is no answer that can be given within the terms specified by the question.  
> **username_2**: And this is cross posted https://physics.stackexchange.com/questions/372928/spectroscopy-of-exoplanets  
> **username_3**: I think the answer right now is somewhere in between not good to barely seeing anything at all.   With luck, the James Webb Space Telescope will be a 10 fold, maybe 100 fold increase in this specific area of research.    I agree that precise answers are hard to give for "how accurate" questions, but I think asking for general answers on accuracy should be accepted and not discouraged.    This would be a better question after James Webb starts to produce data though.  
> **username_4**: I agree with username_3: At the moment there is no accurate spectral analysis of planetary atmospheres. Surely not to the level where we can unambigously identify molecules & atoms. Only in a few lucky cases there were strong indicators of water & other things.  
> **username_5**: JWST is expected to do that. here is an example paper: https://arxiv.org/abs/1511.05528 perhaps a big advantage JWST will have is that it can zoom in on a star system, and occlude the star itself using it's selective light filter apparatus.  

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## 0 answers

