Extrasolar Planets
A Second Planet with an Earth-like Composition Orbiting The Nearby M dwarf LHS 1140 
LHS 1140 is a nearby mid-M dwarf known to host a temperate rocky super-Earth (LHS 1140 b) on a 24.737-day orbit.
Traces of Exomoons in Computed Flux and Polarization Phase curves of Starlight Reflected by Exoplanets
Moons are suspected to influence rocky exoplanet habitability, and gaseous exoplanets in stellar habitable zones could harbour abundant and diverse moons to target in the search for extraterrestrial habitats.
Atmospheric Circulation and Thermal Phase-Curve Offset of Tidally and Non-Tidally Locked Terrestrial Exoplanets
Using an idealised general circulation model, we investigate the atmospheric circulation of Earth-like terrestrial planets in a variety of orbital configurations.
Exoplanet Atmosphere Measurements From Direct Imaging
In the last decade, about a dozen giant exoplanets have been directly imaged in the IR as companions to young stars.
Rocky Planet Ross 128 b Is Not Earth's Twin
Last autumn, the world was excited by the discovery of an exoplanet called Ross 128 b, which is just 11 light-years away from Earth.
New IR Instrument Searches for Habitable Planets
A new instrument to search for potentially habitable/inhabited planets has started operation at the Subaru Telescope. This instrument, IRD (InfraRed Doppler), will look for habitable planets around red dwarf stars.
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.
Top stories from August.
Calendar
- 15 Aug: Pre-Proposal Conference: NASA Research Announcement Human Exploration Research Opportunities: Flagship and Omnibus Appendices
- 17 Aug: Basics of Astrobiology
- 19 Aug: Extreme Solar Systems IV
- 20 Aug: JWST: Launch, Commissioning, and Cycle 1 Science
- 23 Aug: Mars Society Convention
- 27 Aug: Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets III (CCTP-3)
- 27 Aug: Comparative Climatology of Terrestrial Planets III (CCTP-3)
- 27 Aug: NASA Advisory Council Science Committee Meeting
- 27 Aug: NASA Advisory Council Human Exploration and Operations Committee Meeting
- 28 Aug: IAU Symposium 348: 21st Century Astrometry: crossing the Dark and Habitable frontiers
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