Paul Smith analyzes TOI-2031A b

Paul Smith, a University of Cincinnati graduate student, said this month that he helped lead analysis of James Webb Space Telescope data on TOI-2031A b, a gas giant orbiting a star about 901 light-years from Earth. The University of Cincinnati described the work in a May 8 article, and Universe Today followed with a May 14 report on the observations. NASA’s Exoplanet Archive lists TOI-2031A b as a confirmed planet discovered by transit methods in 2025. The planet is one of the targets in a JWST Cycle 4 observing program focused on giant exoplanets. ### How did Smith end up working on this planet? May 8 was the date of the University of Cincinnati profile that identified Smith as part of an international team studying five distant gas giants. The university said Smith handled the first look at the data for the project’s first planet after the team won time on JWST through a competitive review process in which roughly 90% of applications do not make the cut each year. (uc.edu) Smith told the university he stayed up all night waiting for the data and was looking for a “U-shaped curve” that would confirm the planet crossed in front of its star during the scheduled observation. Universe Today reported on May 14 that Smith and colleagues watched for a transit of TOI-2031A and used Webb’s Near-Infrared Spectrograph, or NIRSpec, to capture starlight passing through the planet’s atmosphere. The same report said Smith is part of an international collaboration spanning 20 institutions. ### What kind of planet is TOI-2031A b? (uc.edu) NASA’s Exoplanet Archive lists TOI-2031A b with an orbital period of 5.72 days and a radius of 1.267 times Jupiter’s. Universe Today reported that the planet is about 80% as massive as Jupiter and circles its star at 0.066 astronomical units, placing it in the class commonly called “Hot Jupiters” because such planets orbit very close to their stars. (universetoday.com) The host star, TOI-2031A, is cataloged by NASA’s archive at 1.18 times the Sun’s radius and about 6,664 kelvin. Universe Today and the University of Cincinnati both described TOI-2031A b as the only planet detected so far in that system. ### What did JWST add that earlier surveys did not? The James Webb program targeting the planet is listed by the Space Telescope Science Institute as GO-9025, titled “The Warm Jupiter Opportunity for Understanding Giant Exoplanet Evolution.” STScI says the principal investigator is Peter Gao of the Carnegie Institution of Washington and that the program received 59.7 hours in JWST Cycle 4. (exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu) Universe Today said the team used NIRSpec to study light filtered through the planet’s atmosphere during transit, a method that can reveal chemical clues. Smith told the university that the observations were aimed at learning more about gas-giant atmospheres, while he told Universe Today the atmosphere looked broadly similar to Jupiter’s, with hydrogen, helium, water and carbon dioxide. That description was attributed to Smith. (stsci.edu) ### Where were the results shown publicly? March 16 to March 20, 2026, were the dates of the American Astronomical Society’s Exoplanet Atmospheres 2026 meeting in Denver. The University of Cincinnati said Smith and his colleagues presented findings on TOI-2031A b there in April reporting, while Universe Today identified the event as the 11th AAS Topical Conference Series meeting. The AAS conference page describes the meeting as focused on exoplanet atmospheres and JWST results. (uc.edu) May 13 was the date of a second University of Cincinnati item noting that outside science outlets had highlighted the collaboration. That university post again tied Smith to the JWST study of the Jupiter-like planet 901 light-years away. ### Is there a paper out yet? May 15 searches did not surface a clearly indexed journal paper or arXiv preprint for the TOI-2031A b atmospheric analysis itself. (uc.edu) The most direct primary-source records available were the University of Cincinnati report, NASA’s Exoplanet Archive entry for the planet, and the STScI program page for JWST GO-9025. (uc.edu) STScI says JWST program 9025 carries a 12-month exclusive-access period. That means any fuller data release or formal paper tied to this observing program may appear later through the usual archive and journal channels, while the confirmed planet entry already remains available through NASA’s Exoplanet Archive. (stsci.edu) (uc.edu)