Habitable Zones & Global Climate

Stellar Characterization Necessary to Define Holistic Planetary Habitability

By Keith Cowing
Press Release
astro-ph.EP
April 2, 2019
Filed under
Stellar Characterization Necessary to Define Holistic Planetary Habitability
Holistic Planetary Habitability
astro-ph.EP

It is a truism within the exoplanet field that “to know the planet, you must know the star.” This pertains to the physical properties of the star (i.e. mass, radius, luminosity, age, multiplicity), the activity and magnetic fields, as well as the stellar elemental abundances which can be used as a proxy for planetary composition.

In this white paper, we discuss important stellar characteristics that require attention in upcoming ground- and space-based missions, such that their processes can be understood and either detangled from that of the planet, correlated with the presence of a planet, or utilized in lieu of direct planetary observations.

Natalie Hinkel, Irina Kitiashvili, Patrick Young, Allison Youngblood
(Submitted on 1 Apr 2019)

Comments: Astro2020 Science White Paper, 5pg, 1 fig
Subjects: Earth and Planetary Astrophysics (astro-ph.EP)
Cite as: arXiv:1904.01089 [astro-ph.EP] (or arXiv:1904.01089v1 [astro-ph.EP] for this version)
Submission history
From: Natalie Hinkel
[v1] Mon, 1 Apr 2019 20:00:34 UTC (494 KB)
https://arxiv.org/abs/1904.01089
Astrobiology

Explorers Club Fellow, ex-NASA Space Station Payload manager/space biologist, Away Teams, Journalist, Lapsed climber, Synaesthete, Na’Vi-Jedi-Freman-Buddhist-mix, ASL, Devon Island and Everest Base Camp veteran, (he/him) 🖖🏻