How Clouds Hide Alien Worlds—and How Astronomers See Through Them

The James Webb Space Telescope is transforming our understanding of exoplanets—but what happens when clouds get in the way? Astronomers have developed a new method to detect clouds and hazes in distant planetary atmospheres, helping researchers determine when they're seeing the planet itself and when weather obscures the view.

Join SETI Live as host Dr. Lauren Sgro welcomes lead author Dr. Sagnick Mukherjee to discuss this innovative method, how it works, and what it means for the future of exoplanet science and the search for life beyond Earth.

Press release: https://hub.jhu.edu/2026/05/21/astronomy-exoplanet-atmospheres-detecting-clouds/ 

Paper: http://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adx5903