![Radius valley plot showing the sub-populations of super-Earths and sub-Neptunes as circles and triangles, respectively. The black line and grey shaded region denote an average radius valley (Ho & Van Eylen 2023) for the population and its 1𝜎 uncertainty region, respectively. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/No-Statistically-.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] The chemical compositions of planets and their hosts stars are intrinsically linked, having formed from the same protostellar material.
Astronomy & Telescopes
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Webb Reveals A Stunning Panorama Of Star Formation
[ESA] This starry view of the nearby star-forming region IC 348 is one of the largest images from the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope released to the public so far.
![Radial velocity timeseries of K2-3 used in the analysis. Here the second dimension for the multi-dimensional quasi-periodic gaussian process kernes used the D2V activity indicator to disentangle the stellar activity from the Keplerian signals. The Keplerian models for all three planets are assumed to be circular orbits for this figure (Model 1 in Table C.3). The various instruments used in the analysis are colour coded. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Uncovering.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Uncovering Temperate Worlds: An Updated Look At The K2-3 System With ESPRESSO
[astro-ph.EP] The K2-3 system is one of the most unique planetary systems as it features three transiting sub-Neptunes in decreasing order of radii, spanning the radius valley.
![Post-processed NIRCam images for the two epochs, with 1- and 2-σ contours of the expected position, computed with the posteriors of the Octofitter results: in white without including the images in the fit, and in green including the images, but without making a connection between flux and atmospheric model. The postprocessing method is described in Sec. 2.3. When including the images, some walkers tend towards the feature whose location coincides with the expected position of planet b. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/An-Updated.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inEpsilon Eridani
An Updated Model For Epsilon Eridani b and Prospects for Imaging With The Roman Coronagraph
[astro-ph.EP] Epsilon Eridani b, the nearest known Jupiter analog, has its orbit and mass constrained from radial velocity (RV) and absolute astrometry, and its atmosphere from JWST/NIRCam imaging upper limits […]
![Log–log relation between age and rotation period for M dwarfs. Black squares show the Engle & Guinan (2023) sample. Filled circles are cluster members from Curtis et al. (2020) and Godoy-Rivera et al. (2021), colour-coded by spectral type (M2–M6). The solid blue curve is the median fit. Dark- and light-grey bands denote the 68% and 95% posterior predictive regions, including intrinsic astrophysical scatter. Triangles with error bars indicate the target stars analysed in this work. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Stellar.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inStellar Cartography
Stellar Ages of M Dwarf Hosts of Temperate Sub-Neptunes
[astro-ph.EP] Measuring M dwarf ages is a central challenge in stellar astrophysics. These stars evolve so slowly that isochrone fitting gives little constraint, requiring alternative methods based on rotation, activity, […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Youngest Exoplanet Yet Discovered Found Hiding in Keck Observatory Data
[W.M.Keck Observatory] Astronomers have confirmed the youngest exoplanet detected so far, offering a rare glimpse into the earliest stages of planetary formation. The planet, known as Elias 2-24 b, is […]
Posted inBrown Dwarfs
Decoding The Weather On Brown Dwarf SIMP 0136
[Trinity College Dublin] Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have developed a powerful way to unravel the changing weather patterns on distant worlds.
Posted inAstrochemistry
Chemists Uncover How Unthinkable Reactions Occur In Unimaginable Conditions
[Florida International University] Before there was Earth, there was chemistry. In the unimaginable cold, dark clouds where stars and planets are born, carbon molecules assemble into more complex forms — […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Photonic Integrated Circuits for the Habitable Worlds Observatory: Science Drivers, Material Platforms, Arrayed-Waveguide Spectrographs, and a Space-Qualification Roadmap
[astro-ph.IM] NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will require ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared instruments that are simultaneously compact, mechanically and thermally stable, high-throughput, and replicable at large channel counts.
![Illustration of the astro-calibration method. The four reference frames are represented. The three models (s, a, and c) that link them and constitute the parameter vector x are also represented. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Calibrations.png?resize=1200%2C714&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Calibrations For High Precision Differential Astrometry Onboard Theia And HWO
[astro-ph.IM] Future space astrometry missions such as Theia and an astrometric mode of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) require detector calibration and instrumental characterization at an unprecedented level to achieve […]