@ESA-CAVES just tweeted another pair of Earth and space images. One is Supernova remnant W49B. The other is an unidentified benthic colonial organism. The similarities in color and shape are […]
Astronomy & Telescopes
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Microlensing Events by Proxima Centauri in 2014 and 2016: Opportunities for Mass Determination and Possible Planet Detection
We have found that Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, will pass close to a pair of faint background stars in the next few years. Using Hubble Space […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Photometric and spectroscopic survey of solar twin stars
Solar twins and analogs are fundamental in the characterization of the Sun’s place in the context of stellar measurements, as they are in understanding how typical the solar properties are […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes
The Feedback of Massive Stars on Interstellar Astrochemical Processes
Astrochemistry is a discipline that studies physico-chemical processes in astrophysical environments. Such environments are characterized by conditions that are substantially different from those existing in usual chemical laboratories. Models which […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris
Herschel HIFI observations of ionised carbon in the Pictoris debris disk
Context: The dusty debris disk around the ~20 Myr old main-sequence A-star beta Pic is known to contain gas. Evidence points towards a secondary origin of the gas as opposed […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Detectability of Free Floating Planets in Open Clusters with JWST
Recent observations have shown the presence of extra-solar planets in Galactic open stellar clusters, as in the Praesepe (M44). These systems provide a favorable environment for planetary formation due to […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Microlensing Discovers Extrasolar Planet in Habitable Zone
We used Keck adaptive optics observations to identify the first planet discovered by microlensing to lie in or near the habitable zone. The planet is at projected separation $r_\perp=1.1\pm 0.1\,$AU […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology
Detecting Biomarkers on Faraway Planets
On Earth, life leaves telltale signals in the atmosphere. Photosynthesis is ultimately responsible for the high oxygen levels and the thick ozone layer. Microbes emit methane and nitrous oxide into […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Exoplanet Adaptive Optics for the 5-meter Hale Telescope
We describe and report first results from PALM-3000, the second-generation astronomical adaptive optics facility for the 5.1-m Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory. PALM-3000 has been engineered for high-contrast imaging and […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia Mission
Astrometric Detection of Exoplanets from the Ground
Astrometry is a powerful technique to study the populations of extrasolar planets around nearby stars. It gives access to a unique parameter space and is therefore required for obtaining a […]