![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)
[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, […]
Astronomy & Telescopes
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 […]
Posted inPLATO
Detecting Transiting Exoplanets In Simulated PLATO data: A Comparison Of Light Curve Filter And Transit Search Algorithms
[astro-ph.EP] Aims: Our goal is to test and compare transit search methodologies, and provide recommendations as to the best practices to be implemented by the upcoming ESA PLATO mission, in […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) on Chandrayaan-3: Instrument Characteristics, Calibration and Onboard Performance
[astro-ph.IM] The orbiter of the Chandrayaan-3 mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) carries an experimental payload called SHAPE (Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth). This payload makes disc-integrated observations […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
JWST/MIRI Imaging Search for Kinematically Detected Protoplanetary Candidates
[astro-ph.EP] Kinematic perturbations observed with ALMA in CO line emission provide evidence for a population of embedded giant protoplanets shaping the structure of protoplanetary disks.
![Sensitivity of the adopted contrast curves for the newly validated planets, separated by technique. Each pixel gives the fraction of curves sensitive to a companion of the given magnitude contrast (∆mag) at the given angular separation (∆arcsec), shading from white (all curves sensitive) to black (none sensitive). Speckle observations are confined to their ∼ 1.2 ′′ field of view, while the adaptive-optics curves extend to wider separations. Contrasts are in each observation’s native band and are not directly comparable across instruments (cf. Table 2).-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Assessing-the.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Assessing the Impact of High-Resolution Imaging on Statistical Validation of TESS Planet Candidates
[astro-ph.EP] High-resolution imaging is widely used to constrain false-positive scenarios in exoplanet validation, but it is a finite follow-up resource that reaches only a subset of candidates, and its population-level […]