NASA's Pandora exoplanet mission has begun making scientific observations of planets beyond our solar system and the stars they orbit. The first satellite to launch under the agency's Astrophysics Pioneers programme aims to study the atmospheres of at least 20 exoplanets and determine whether they contain hazes, clouds and water.
The small satellite will also examine the host stars of these distant worlds, helping scientists distinguish signals produced by planets from those originating from their stars.
Pandora's Mission
Pandora launched into low Earth orbit on January 11 as the first satellite to fly through NASA's Astrophysics Pioneers programme. The mission led by NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center is designed to address a major challenge in studying exoplanet atmospheres: light from a host star can interfere with measurements of the planet's atmospheric composition.
Photo Credit: NASA
During its one-year primary mission, Pandora will observe at least 20 exoplanets 10 times each. Each observation will last 24 hours and include a planetary transit.
“Pandora's data will help close a major gap in our knowledge about planets and their host stars because, right now, we can't be entirely sure how the star's light affects measurements of what makes up exoplanet atmospheres,” NASA quoted Elisa Quintana, Pandora's principal investigator at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland.
Pandora's Features
Three features make Pandora particularly useful: its novel all-aluminium telescope, its ability to observe planets and their host stars simultaneously in visible and infrared wavelengths, and its capacity to spend extended periods observing individual targets. Pandora's advantage is its ability to observe targets for extended periods at multiple wavelengths, something high-demand flagship missions like Webb cannot regularly do.
Pandora's near-infrared detector is a spare originally developed for the James Webb Space Telescope. Scientists expect that combining data from the two missions will help determine the properties of stellar surfaces and distinguish signals from stars and exoplanet atmospheres.
How Pandora Will Separate Star And Planet Signals
Pandora is designed to observe exoplanets and their host stars simultaneously in visible and near-infrared light. Its telescope, measuring about 18 inches (45 centimetres) in diameter, will capture the brightness of stars at visible wavelengths while recording their near-infrared spectra.
At the same time, the spacecraft will collect near-infrared data from planets as they pass in front of their host stars, an event known as a planetary transit.
Pandora's simultaneous observations are particularly important for detecting water. Scientists consider water one of the key molecules for understanding the composition and physical conditions of an exoplanet's atmosphere. However, features on a host star can distort the water signal researchers are trying to detect. Pandora is designed to disentangle the signals from the planet and the star.
The mission's results could improve the interpretation of exoplanet observations and provide a stronger foundation for future efforts to identify worlds with conditions that may be suitable for life.
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