[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 […]
Atmospheres, Climate, Weather
![O2–O2 CIA impact on reflected-light spectra. Top: modern Earth composition (21 % O2). Bottom: otherwise identical O2-dominated composition (78 % O2), with N2 adjusted to keep total surface pressure fixed.[astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/Distinguishing.png?resize=1200%2C721&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Distinguishing N2-Dominated from O2-Dominated Atmospheres on Terrestrial Exoplanets with Reflected-Light Spectroscopy
[astro-ph.EP] Reflected-light spectra of Earth-sized exoplanets promise to probe habitability and biosignatures, but interpreting atmospheric oxygen can be challenging because O2 can arise from both biological and abiotic processes.
![Example of the three input quantities used by the U-Net model. (a) Differential energy fluxes (DEF) of O2 + . (b) Corresponding validity masks (see text for details). (c) Normalized logarithmic energy coordinate. The brackets at the top illustrate the sliding input windows, each containing 512 time samples × 32 energy bins × 3 input channels. Consecutive windows overlap by 90%, corresponding to a shift of approximately 51 samples. -- [physics.space-ph]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/11/deep.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inMars
Deep-Learning Identification and Global Characterization of Energetic O2+ Beams at Mars
[physics.space-ph] Martian ionospheric ions can be accelerated away from Mars by the solar wind, contributing substantially to atmospheric ion escape.
Posted inTitan
Inspecting A Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer (DRAMS) Transducer
[NASA]. Gabrielle Schweitzer performs a ultraviolet light inspection on a Dragonfly Mass spectrometer (DRAMS) transducer at Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Md., Oct. 20, 2026. Tricorder Tech: Dragonfly Mass Spectrometer […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
NASA Explores Potential Commercial Servicing for Hubble Telescope
[NASA] NASA issued a Request for Information Oct. 29 to learn more about industry capabilities for in-space servicing to support the agency’s Hubble Space Telescope.
Posted inAstrogeology
Extraterrestrial Chemical Boundary Conditions and Evolutionary Opportunity Space on Early Earth
[essopenarchive.org] Extraterrestrial material has often been evaluated as delivered cargo: amino acids, nucleobases, organics, brines, or biological vectors.
Posted inTitan
Send Your Name to Titan Aboard NASA’s Dragonfly Astrobiology Mission
[NASA]. You may never soar under the clouds or over the organic sands of Saturn’s moon Titan, but your name can. NASA is inviting the public to send their names […]
Posted inMars
Well-Preserved Polygons In Elysium Planitia on Mars
[NASA/JPL-Caltech/UArizona]. Polygons are interesting features on Mars, though sometimes only visible in high resolution images like those taken by HiRISE.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather
Coupled Evolution Of Earth’s H2-rich Proto-atmosphere And Oxidized Magma Ocean
[astro-ph.EP] Giant impacts during Earth’s final accretion likely generated global magma oceans, where the disproportionation of Fe2+ at lower-mantle pressures and segregation of the resulting metallic iron into the core […]
Posted inMars
Advancing Methane Detection Technology For Future Mars Missions
[Canadian Space Agency]. The presence of methane on Mars could provide important clues about the red planet’s past and present, including whether it may once have supported life. By studying […]