JWST Observations Reveal Sun-like Starspot Properties on Young Solar Analog V1298 Tau
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[Submitted on 15 Jun 2026]
Summary
This scientific paper analyzes JWST NIRISS/SOSS transit observations of the young (20-30 Myr) solar analog star V1298 Tau and its exoplanets b, c, and d. Researchers identified 14 starspot crossing events across two visits and derived 0.8-2.8μm starspot contrast spectra. They found that the starspots on V1298 Tau have umbral temperatures of 3265-3436 K and penumbral temperatures of 4388-4659 K, with spots being ~30% umbrae by area. The relationship between spot contrast and umbral-to-penumbral area ratio is similar to that of the Sun, suggesting that while total spot coverage evolves over time, the relative temperatures of surface heterogeneities on Sun-like stars may remain consistent throughout their lifetimes. The study also used long-baseline multi-band photometry to estimate global unocculted spot distributions, revealing at least 5 additional large active regions.
Source
bskyJWST Observations Reveal Sun-like Starspot Properties on Young Solar Analog V1298 Tauarxiv.orgKey quotes
· 5 pulledThe spot temperatures are broadly consistent between visits, suggesting that V1298~Tau ($T_\mathrm{phot}=4880\pm20$ K) has starspots with $T_{\mathrm{umbra}}$ = 3265--3436 K umbrae and $T_{\mathrm{penumbra}}$ = 4388--4659 K penumbrae, and are $\sim$30% umbrae by area.
The differences between these spot components and the stellar photosphere are consistent with sunspots.
These measurements suggest that while the total spot coverage evolves in time, the relative temperatures of surface heterogeneities on Sun-like stars may be consistent throughout their lifetimes.
These results demonstrate that JWST exoplanet transit observations can be useful for starspot substructure characterization.
Transiting exoplanets provide a unique laboratory for studying stellar surface heterogeneities via starspot or facular occultations.
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