University of Cincinnati astrophysics graduate Paul Smith said on May 8 that he and his research partners used the James Webb Space Telescope to study a planet located 901 light years from Earth. The planet, named TOI-2031Ab after its star, was observed as it passed in front of its host star during a scheduled observation period.
The research aims to provide more information about gas giant planets outside our solar system, known as exoplanets. Understanding these planets can help scientists learn about planetary formation and migration in other solar systems, which may also shed light on the origins and characteristics of our own solar system.
Smith described the anticipation leading up to receiving data from the telescope: “It was a lifelong dream of mine coming true. I was up all night to get the first look at the data,” he said. He explained that success depended on capturing a specific pattern: “What you want to see is a U-shaped curve that proves that we had the telescope pointed at the star at the moment of transit. If our calculations were wrong, we would just get a flat line and I would have had to tell everyone we missed it.” He added, “Thank God, we got a light curve. That was so exciting.”
Smith’s findings were presented with his colleagues at an American Astronomical Society meeting in Denver in April. The team includes collaborators from 19 institutions worldwide who are studying gas giants similar to Jupiter but often found much closer to their stars than those in our own solar system. TOI-2031Ab is roughly one-quarter larger than Jupiter but has about 20% less mass and orbits its star faster than Mercury orbits the sun—completing one orbit every six Earth days.
Smith explained their focus: “We’re trying to figure out how these big gas giants got there. We’re studying the formation and migration pathways of big planets,” he said. He noted that TOI-2031Ab’s atmosphere is mostly hydrogen and helium with water and carbon dioxide—similar components found in Jupiter’s atmosphere.
Cincinnati Observatory astronomer Wes Ryle commented on broader implications for astronomy: “Exoplanets are one of the hottest topics in astrophysics right now, with the ultimate goal of learning how our solar system compares to others and the likelihood of finding other habitable worlds,” Ryle said. “Studies like this help evaluate the role of gas giant planets and their migration in creating a planetary system.”
Smith shared his personal journey into astrophysics after previous careers in business leadership and communications: “I’ve always loved astronomy as a kid… I just assumed that’s what a responsible adult is supposed to do,” he said about choosing business before returning later for further education at UC.