Sample interview questions: Can you explain any challenges associated with remote sensing of exoplanet atmospheres and habitability?
Sample answer:
Challenges Associated with Remote Sensing of Exoplanet Atmospheres and Habitability
Remote sensing of exoplanet atmospheres presents several significant challenges:
1. Distance and Faintness: Exoplanets are extremely distant, and their emitted or reflected light is faint compared to their host stars. This makes it difficult to collect sufficient photons to characterize their atmospheres.
2. Atmospheric Contaminants: The atmospheres of host stars emit radiation that can contaminate the exoplanet signal, making it challenging to isolate and analyze the exoplanet’s atmosphere.
3. Instrumental Sensitivity and Limitations: Telescopes and instruments used for remote sensing must be highly sensitive to detect the faint exoplanet signals. They also need to have high spectral resolution to identify and characterize specific molecular species.
4. Atmospheric Variability: Exoplanet atmospheres can exhibit significant variability over time, due to factors such as flares, clouds, and weather patterns. This variability can complicate the interpretation of remote sensing data.
5. Limited Observational Time: Access to large telescopes is competitive, and observing time for exoplanet studies is often limited. This limits the amount of data that can be collected and the sensitivity of remote sensing techniques. Read full answer
Source: https://hireabo.com/job/5_4_15/Remote%20Sensing%20Specialist