The search for life elsewhere in the universe is one of the central aims of science in the 21st century.
Atmospheres, Climate, Weather
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Webb Discovers LHS 475 b, An Earth-Sized, Rocky Planet
Researchers have confirmed the presence of an exoplanet, a planet that orbits another star, using the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope for the first time. Formally classified as LHS 475 […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
A JWST Transmission Spectrum Of A Nearby Earth-sized Exoplanet
The critical first step in the search for life on exoplanets over the next decade is to determine whether rocky planets transiting small M-dwarf stars possess atmospheres and, if so, […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Photochemical Hazes Can Trace The C/O Ratio In Exoplanet Atmospheres
Photochemical hazes are suspected to obscure molecular features, such as water, from detection in the transmission spectra of exoplanets with atmospheric temperatures < 800 K.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Redox State And Interior Structure Control On The Long-term Habitability Of Stagnant-lid Planets
A major goal in the search for extraterrestrial life is the detection of liquid water on the surface of exoplanets.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Optical Properties Of Organic Hazes In Water-rich Exoplanet Atmospheres: Implications For Observations With JWST
JWST has begun its scientific mission, which includes the atmospheric characterization of transiting exoplanets.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Extinction events, Impact events, Plant Biology, Press Release
Discovery Of Sunscreen-like Chemicals In Fossil Plants Reveals UV Radiation Played A Part In Mass Extinction Events
New research has uncovered that pollen preserved in 250 million year old rocks contain compounds that function like sunscreen, these are produced by plants to protect them from harmful ultraviolet […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Diverse Carbonates In Exoplanet Oceans Promote The Carbon Cycle
Carbonate precipitation in oceans is essential for the carbonate-silicate cycle (inorganic carbon cycle) to maintain temperate climates.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
The CARMENES Search For Exoplanets Around M Dwarfs, Wolf 1069 b: Earth-mass Planet In The Habitable Zone Of A Nearby, Very Low-mass Star
We present the discovery of an Earth-mass planet (Mbsini=1.36±0.21M⊕) on a 15.6d orbit of a relatively nearby (d∼9.6pc) and low-mass (0.167±0.011M⊙) M5.0V star, Wolf 1069.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Hubble WFC3 Spectroscopy of the Terrestrial Planets L~98-59~c \& d: No Evidence for a Clear Hydrogen Dominated Primary Atmosphere
The nearby bright M-dwarf star L~98-59 has three terrestrial-sized planets. One challenge remaining in characterizing atmospheres around such planets is that it is not known a priori whether they possess […]