Exoplanet Atmosphere Detection: Stacking JWST Transit Light Curves

JWST doesn't read an exoplanet's atmosphere from a single transit — it stacks many. This 2D simulator models a TRAPPIST-1-like planet crossing its star across three linked panels: a top-down orbit view you can rotate by dragging, a phase-folded light curve that sharpens as more transits are co-added, and a transmission spectrum built from real noise statistics. Every transit adds photon-limited noise that shrinks as 1/√N when stacked, while genuine H₂O and CO₂ absorption bands stay fixed in place. Toggle which molecules are present, dial in cloud cover to flatten the spectrum, adjust instrument noise and planet size, and watch the live signal-to-noise readouts cross the 5σ detection threshold — the same statistical bar astronomers use to claim a real atmospheric detection instead of a noise fluctuation.