[astro-ph.EP] The thermodynamic acceleration induced by atmospheric thermal tides has a major impact on the rotation of temperate rocky planets, where gravitational and radiative tidal forcings are of comparable strength.
Atmospheres, Climate, Weather
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
BeAR: The Bern Atmospheric Retrieval code – A GPU-accelerated Framework for Low-resolution, High-resolution, and Joint Retrievals of Exoplanet Atmospheres
[astro-ph.EP] We present BeAR, the Bern Atmospheric Retrieval code and successor of Helios-r, and its new high-resolution cross-correlation framework for emission and transmission spectra.
Posted inDale Andersen's Field Reports
Astrobiologist Dale Andersen’s Antarctic Field Report: 6 November 2026: Setting Up Lake Untersee Basecamp
Keith’s update: Dale Andersen sent an update overnight update to me: “First night at Untersee. All is well after yesterday’s traverse. Now it’s time to get shelter in place – […]
![The habitable-zone correction at a glance. Each symbol is a TOI placed at a distance from the centre that scales with its insolation relative to the conservative habitable zone of its host (green ring; hotter planets inside, colder outside); symbol size scales with planet radius. Left: positions from the catalogue periods, which place 28 duo-transits in the conservative habitable zone. Right: positions from the periods of this work. Of the 28, nine are resolved and only two remain in the habitable zone, both giants (TOI-4600 c and TOI-1894.01); the 19 unresolved objects, drawn with opacity proportional to their probability of lying in the habitable zone, are expected to contribute 0.0–0.1. Two planets enter the habitable zone: TOI-6478 b, a duo-transit catalogued outside it, and TOI-2298 b, a mono-transit with no catalogue period. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Are-habitable.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inHabitable Zones
Are Habitable-zone TESS Objects of Interest really there? Period Resolution From The Full Archive
[astro-ph.EP]. TESS Objects of Interest (TOIs) seen as single or duo transits carry a catalogue period that is undefined or equal to the separation of the two events, and their […]
![Bolometric intensity map (right) from the M dwarf simulation of Table 1. The sketch on the left shows the approximate size of the numerical box with respect to the stellar radius, assuming a (R=0.4 R⊙ for a 3500K M dwarf star, Parsons et al. 2018). -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/The-impact.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
The Impact of M Dwarf Stellar Convection on Exoplanetary Atmospheric Signatures. A 3D Radiation-hydrodynamics Simulation Analysis for High-resolution Spectroscopy
[astro-ph.EP] M dwarf stars represent prime targets for the detection and characterization of small, temperate exoplanets; however, their complex activity and convective surfaces pose significant challenges for high-resolution spectroscopic studies.
Posted inPlanetary Protection & Biosafety
Blown Sand On Mars Can Spread Microbial Spores From Earth
[Astrobiology (Journal), via PubMed] We present experiments demonstrating that B. subtilis HA101 endospores (henceforth spores) may remain intact after impact by, and subsequent transport on the surfaces of, sand grains.
Posted inMars
ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter Detects Hints Of Volcanic Activity On Mars
[ESA] New evidence from gas seeping above volcanic rifts suggests Mars is not geologically dead deep inside, but merely sleeping.
Posted inSpace Weather & Heliophysics
How Space Weather Shapes Young Planets
[Michigan State University] Scientists suspect powerful solar flares helped strip away the atmospheres of planets like Mars. A Michigan State University researcher is now searching for evidence of how those […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
A Whole-Earth Simulation Built To Help Find Life On Other Planets
[University of Washington] It’s a dizzyingly busy time for scientists searching for life on distant planets. To date, astronomers have cataloged more than 6,000 planets beyond our solar system and […]
Posted inVenus
Communicating The Uncertainty Of Extraterrestrial Life: How The News Media Portrayed The Contested Phosphine Detection On Venus
[International Journal of Astrobiology]. The contested 2020 report of phosphine in Venus’s atmosphere triggered one of the most prominent recent debates in astrobiology, raising the possibility of extraterrestrial life while […]