Beth Biller (University of Edinburgh)

Direct detection and direct spectroscopy have great potential for advancing our understanding of extrasolar planets, in particular, the dynamics, composition, and cloud chemistry of their atmospheres.  I will discuss JWST Cycle 1 early release science results on directly imaged exoplanet atmospheres and JWST Cycle 2 variability monitoring results for brown dwarfs, the higher mass cousins of directly imaged planets.  I will present the first >10 um image of any exoplanet, the first direct spectrum of an exoplanet with JWST, and the first brown dwarf variability monitoring dataset with JWST.  These datasets reveal dynamic and turbulent atmospheres for these objects, via spectral features deriving from both silicate clouds and non-equilibrium chemistry.   Variability attributed to this cloud structure already appears to be a persistent feature in free-floating planetary mass objects, potentially due to the breakup of thick silicate and iron condensate clouds during the L to T spectral type transition. Directly imaged planetary companions are likely to be equally variable. I will also discuss the prospects for detecting and characterising exoplanet weather patterns through monitoring the intrinsic photometric variability of these objects.