A refresher: TRAPPIST-1 c is the second planet from its star, the M dwarf TRAPPIST-1. M dwarf stars are intriguing because they are 10 times as common and 2 times more likely to have rocky planets than stars like our Sun. TRAPPIST-1 has seven!

Young M dwarf stars are energetic, emitting X-ray & UV radiation that can strip young planetary atmospheres away. It’s unknown if systems like these had water, carbon dioxide, or other ingredients to make atmospheres when the planets formed.

Webb is so sensitive that it can search for elements and molecules like oxygen, nitrogen, and carbon dioxide in exoplanet atmospheres. The mystery remains — can planets orbiting small M dwarfs sustain the atmospheres needed to support life as we know it?