Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Join astronomers Franck Marchis (SETI Institute) and Julien Girard (Space Telescope Science Institute) for a 30-minute live discussion unpacking NASA’s exciting new findings from JWST. Just announced, JWST has revealed strong evidence of a Saturn-mass gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A—the Sun’s nearest solar twin—located just 4 light-years away. The planet appears to orbit at about 1 to 2 AU, placing it within the star’s habitable zone, though as a gas giant, it's not likely habitable itself.
During the livestream, Franck and Julien will:
Break down the observations and techniques—particularly the use of JWST's MIRI coronagraph to suppress starlight and reveal faint planetary signals.
Explore orbital dynamics, including why the candidate may have "vanished" from view in subsequent observations due to its motion in an elliptical orbit.
Discuss the implications for exoplanet imaging, especially the milestone of potentially imaging the closest gas giant in a habitable zone around a Sun-like star.
Consider what’s next: follow-up observations in 2026–2027 and the potential for confirmation and further study.
Whether you follow exoplanet discovery, telescope technology, or just cosmic curiosities, this session promises a front-row seat to one of the most exciting Webb discoveries to date.
Press release: jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-webb-finds-new-evidence-for-planet-around-closest-solar-twin
Papers: arxiv.org/abs/2508.03814, arxiv.org/abs/2508.03812
#JWST #WebbTelescope #AlphaCentauri #ExoplanetDiscovery #GasGiant #HabitableZone #SpaceExploration #AstronomyLive #SpaceScience #Exoplanets #NASA #ESA #STScI #AstronomyTalk #Astrophysics
If you like science, support the SETI Institute! We're a non-profit research institution whose focus is understanding the nature and origins of life in the universe. Donate here: seti.org/donate
Learn more about the SETI Institute and stay up-to-date on awesome science:
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/SETIInstitute
- Watch our streams over on Twitch at twitch.tv/setiinstitute
- Listen to our podcast, Big Picture Science [http://www.bigpicturescience.org](http://www.bigpicturescience.org/)/
- Subscribe to our newsletter seti.org/signup
- Buy merchandise from Chop Shop chopshopstore.com/collections/seti-institute/SETI
Don't forget to like and subscribe! Ring the bell for notifications of when we go live.
Join astronomers Franck Marchis (SETI Institute) and Julien Girard (Space Telescope Science Institute) for a 30-minute live discussion unpacking NASA’s exciting new findings from JWST. Just announced, JWST has revealed strong evidence of a Saturn-mass gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A—the Sun’s nearest solar twin—located just 4 light-years away. The planet appears to orbit at about 1 to 2 AU, placing it within the star’s habitable zone, though as a gas giant, it's not likely habitable itself.
During the livestream, Franck and Julien will:
Break down the observations and techniques—particularly the use of JWST's MIRI coronagraph to suppress starlight and reveal faint planetary signals.
Explore orbital dynamics, including why the candidate may have "vanished" from view in subsequent observations due to its motion in an elliptical orbit.
Discuss the implications for exoplanet imaging, especially the milestone of potentially imaging the closest gas giant in a habitable zone around a Sun-like star.
Consider what’s next: follow-up observations in 2026–2027 and the potential for confirmation and further study.
Whether you follow exoplanet discovery, telescope technology, or just cosmic curiosities, this session promises a front-row seat to one of the most exciting Webb discoveries to date.
Press release: jpl.nasa.gov/news/nasas-webb-finds-new-evidence-for-planet-around-closest-solar-twin
Papers: arxiv.org/abs/2508.03814, arxiv.org/abs/2508.03812
#JWST #WebbTelescope #AlphaCentauri #ExoplanetDiscovery #GasGiant #HabitableZone #SpaceExploration #AstronomyLive #SpaceScience #Exoplanets #NASA #ESA #STScI #AstronomyTalk #Astrophysics
If you like science, support the SETI Institute! We're a non-profit research institution whose focus is understanding the nature and origins of life in the universe. Donate here: seti.org/donate
Learn more about the SETI Institute and stay up-to-date on awesome science:
- Subscribe to our YouTube channel at youtube.com/c/SETIInstitute
- Watch our streams over on Twitch at twitch.tv/setiinstitute
- Listen to our podcast, Big Picture Science [http://www.bigpicturescience.org](http://www.bigpicturescience.org/)/
- Subscribe to our newsletter seti.org/signup
- Buy merchandise from Chop Shop chopshopstore.com/collections/seti-institute/SETI
Don't forget to like and subscribe! Ring the bell for notifications of when we go live.
