Extrasolar Planets
Distant Moons May Harbor Life 
In a paper published Wednesday (June 13) in The Astrophysical Journal, researchers at the University of California, Riverside and the University of Southern Queensland have identified more than 100 giant planets that potentially host moons capable of supporting life.
Exoplanet Atmospheres at High Spectral Resolution
The spectrum of an exoplanet reveals the physical, chemical, and biological processes that have shaped its history and govern its future. However, observations of exoplanet spectra are complicated by the overwhelming glare of their host stars.
On The Feasibility Of Intense Radial Velocity Surveys For Earth-twin Discoveries
This work assesses the potential capability of the next generation of high-precision Radial Velocity (RV) instruments for Earth-twin exoplanet detection.
Ground-based optical transmission spectroscopy of the small, rocky exoplanet GJ 1132b
Terrestrial Solar System planets either have high mean molecular weight atmospheres, as with Venus, Mars, and Earth, or no atmosphere at all, as with Mercury.
CARMENES Search for Exoplanets Around M dwarfs: A low-mass planet in the temperate zone of the nearby K2-18
K2-18 is a nearby M2.5 dwarf, located at 34 pc and hosting a transiting planet which was first discovered by the K2 mission and later confirmed with Spitzer Space Telescope observations.
Earth As An Exoplanet
The search for habitable and inhabited environments beyond our planet commonly focuses on analogs to Earth, especially in the case of exoplanets. Observations from ground-based facilities, satellites, and spacecraft have yielded a rich collection of data that can be used to effectively view a distant Earth within the context of exoplanet characterization.
Investigating Planet Formation and Evolutionary Processes with Short-Period Exoplanets
From wispy gas giants on the verge of disruption to tiny rocky bodies already falling apart, short-period exoplanets pose a severe puzzle to theories of planet formation and orbital evolution.
Formation of Terrestrial Planets
The past decade has seen major progress in our understanding of terrestrial planet formation. Yet key questions remain.
Clear and Cloudy Exoplanet Forecasts for JWST
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will measure exoplanet transmission and eclipse spectroscopy at un-precedented precisions to better understand planet structure, dynamics, chemistry and formation.
The Value Of Astrometry For Exoplanet Science
Exoplanets mass measurements will be a critical next step to assess the habitability of Earth-like planets: a key aspect of the 2020 vision in the previous decadal survey and also central to NASA's strategic priorities.
Key Technology Challenges for the Study of Exoplanets and the Search for Habitable Worlds
In support of the National Acadamies' Exoplanet Science Strategy, this whitepaper outlines key technology challenges for studying the diversity of worlds in the Galaxy and in searching for habitable planets.
New Instrument EXPRES Ready to Search for Earth-like Planets
Astronomers at Yale University, in collaboration with Lowell Observatory, are embarking on a search that will answer one of the oldest questions in astronomy: Are there planets similar to Earth orbiting other stars?
EarthFinder: A Precise Radial Velocity Probe Mission Concept For the Detection of Earth-Mass Planets Orbiting Sun-like Stars
EarthFinder is a Probe Mission concept selected for study by NASA for input to the 2020 astronomy decadal survey.
15 New Planets Confirmed Around Cool Dwarf Stars
Scientists report the existence of 15 new planets -- including one 'super-Earth' that could harbor liquid water -- orbiting small, cool stars near our solar system.
Exoplanetary Atmosphere Target Selection in the Era of Comparative Planetology
Large-scale transit surveys such as NGTS, TESS and PLATO promise to deliver a wealth of potential targets for follow-up transmission spectroscopy study.
Water And The Interior Structure Of Terrestrial Planets And Icy Bodies
Water content and the internal evolution of terrestrial planets and icy bodies are closely linked. The distribution of water in planetary systems is controlled by the temperature structure in the protoplanetary disk and dynamics and migration of planetesimals and planetary embryos.
Carbon Cycling and Habitability of Earth-size Stagnant Lid Planets
Models of thermal evolution, crustal production, and CO2 cycling are used to constrain the prospects for habitability of rocky planets, with Earth-like size and composition, in the stagnant lid regime.
Two Super-Earths Orbit Star K2-18
New research using data collected by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) has revealed that a little-known exoplanet called K2-18b could well be a scaled-up version of Earth. Just as exciting, the same researchers also discovered for the first time that the planet has a neighbor.
Secondary Atmospheres On HD 219134 b and c
We analyze the interiors of HD~219134~b and c, which are among the coolest super Earths detected thus far. Without using spectroscopic measurements, we aim at constraining if the possible atmospheres are hydrogen-rich or hydrogen-poor.
Influence of XUV Irradiation from Sgr A* on Planetary Habitability and Occurrence of Panspermia near the Galactic Center
Black holes growing via the accretion of gas emit radiation that can photoevaporate the atmospheres of nearby planets.
Top stories from June.
Calendar
- 25 Jun: Astrobiology Australasia Meeting
- 25 Jun: Astrobiology Australasia Meeting
- 25 Jun: Lunar and Small Bodies Graduate Conference (LunGradCon 2018)
- 26 Jun: New Space 2018
- 26 Jun: NASA Exploration Science Forum
- 27 Jun: MilSatCom USA 2018
- 1 Jul: Astrobiology Grand Tour
- 2 Jul: Exoplanets II
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