Starlight Removal Brings Known Exoplanet Out of Webb Data

Adapted by News by Levels November 5, 2026

A physics-based image-processing technique recovered a faint signal from 51 Eridani b in a Webb observation.

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Science news editorial illustration for New Method Reveals Planet Hidden in Webb Telescope Data

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have a to the of a from the of its . Their was in on 4.

The a , a . that from an the 51 b at an an had it. The was ; this was not the of a .

In the was and 15 more . The it , but its and .

Source: Nature Portfolio, 2026-11-05.

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Read and understand · 1/3What does the FLIP method model? How starlight travels through a telescope How planets change their distance from a star How a telescope’s orbit changes over time

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How starlight travels through a telescope. The second paragraph explains that FLIP models how starlight travels through a telescope.

Clue: The team developed a method called FLIP, which models how starlight travels through a telescope. Subtracting that model from an observation revealed the known giant planet 51 Eridani b at an infrared wavelength where an earlier analysis had missed it. The planet itself was discovered previously; this was not the discovery of a new world.

Read and understand · 2/3What does the observation show about 51 Eridani b? It was a newly discovered planet in an earlier observation. It was a known planet already detected at that same wavelength by the earlier analysis. It was a known planet recovered at a wavelength where an earlier analysis missed it.

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It was a known planet recovered at a wavelength where an earlier analysis missed it.. The paragraph identifies it as a previously discovered planet that the earlier analysis missed at an infrared wavelength.

Read and understand · 3/3What work do the authors say remains? Studying planets using only images from Earth Reducing computing costs and testing larger datasets Taking new observations before processing any existing data

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Reducing computing costs and testing larger datasets. The final paragraph identifies computing costs and larger datasets as future work.

Clue: In other tests the method was between two and 15 times more sensitive than standard glare-removal techniques. The authors say it may help researchers detect fainter planets, but reducing its computing costs and testing larger datasets remain future work.

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Explain how FLIP helped reveal 51 Eridani b and identify two tasks that remain before wider use.

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FLIP models the star’s light so it can be subtracted from the observation, revealing the known planet. The authors say computing costs must be reduced and larger datasets tested.

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Starlight Removal Brings Known Exoplanet Out of Webb Data

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