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JWST Transit Stacking: Detecting an Exoplanet Atmosphere from Noise

Stack repeated JWST transits of a TRAPPIST-1-like planet and watch CO2 and H2O absorption features rise out of photon noise as sqrt(N). Tune atmosphere composition, clouds and instrument noise and read the live signal-to-noise ratio.

Space & Astronomy3DModerate60 FPS📱 Mobile-adapted⇄ 2D version

JWST doesn't read an exoplanet's atmosphere from a single transit — it stacks many. This simulator models a TRAPPIST-1-like planet crossing its star and builds a real transmission spectrum from noise: every transit adds photon-limited noise that shrinks as 1/√N when co-added, 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.

⚙ Under the hood

Stack repeated JWST transits of a TRAPPIST-1-like planet and watch CO2 and H2O absorption features rise out of photon noise as the signal-to-noise ratio grows with the square root of the number of transits.

JWSTexoplanet atmospheretransmission spectroscopyTRAPPIST-1signal-to-noisebiosignatures

3D · Three.js / WebGL renderer · 60 FPS target · runs fully client-side, no install