Ignas Snellen
Ignas Snellen is an astronomer known for exoplanet atmospheric characterization. He led the 2026 jwst study of 55-cancri-e that detected an unexpected hydrogen- and CO-rich atmosphere on the tidally locked lava planet.
Key work
- Lead author of “Strong and variable stratospheric CO emission from lava-planet 55 Cnc e observed with NIRCam/JWST” (arXiv 2606.11866, submitted to Nature Astronomy, 2026)
- First detection of a hydrogen-rich secondary-atmosphere on 55-cancri-e via JWST eclipse photometry
- Results show interior oxygen fugacity governs outgassing-driven atmospheric composition on lava planets