Story perspectives

Exomoon Search Fails Again: Scientists Plan Next Steps

12/2/2025

Summary

Story summary

Dr. David Kipping and collaborators used 60 hours of James Webb Space Telescope time to search for exomoons around Kepler-167e, but could not confirm one.
They identified signals and attributed them to detector effects or a sunspot rather than an exomoon.
Previous candidates, like WASP-39b and W1935, also lacked definitive evidence.
Despite setbacks, researchers plan further observations, noting exomoon detection remains complex and negative results are part of science.

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Story summary

Dr. David Kipping and collaborators used 60 hours of James Webb Space Telescope time to search for exomoons around Kepler-167e, but could not confirm one.
They identified signals and attributed them to detector effects or a sunspot rather than an exomoon.
Previous candidates, like WASP-39b and W1935, also lacked definitive evidence.
Despite setbacks, researchers plan further observations, noting exomoon detection remains complex and negative results are part of science.