[University of Birmingham] Astronomers have discovered that a rocky lava planet once thought to be too extreme to have any atmosphere appears to be wrapped in a reflective layer of […]
Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds
![Image credit: Izraelevitz et al. 2024 - -[astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/The-science.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inVenus
The Science Case For An In-situ Measurement Platform In The Venus Clouds
[astro-ph.IM] The next step for Venus exploration after the remote sensing missions of the early 2030s will be in-situ aerial platforms, the Venus equivalent of rovers for Mars.
Posted inWater/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Voyage Into The Slow-motion World Of Earth’s Deep Seas
[Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel (GEOMAR)] Polymetallic nodules form at a snail’s pace. They grow about one to two millimetres over the course of a million years. If buried […]
![Latitude-longitude maps of mean water vapour and hydrogen chloride volume mixing ratios and coefficient of variation (standard deviation divided by the mean) in percentage form at 20.91 km altitude. The values are calculated over four Venus solar days (468 Earth days). --[astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/How-long.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inVenus
How Long Could Volcanic Plumes Persist In The Venus Atmosphere?
[astro-ph.EP] Resolving the ambiguity surrounding current Venusian volcanism is a primary objective for upcoming missions like EnVision and VERITAS.
Posted inLava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds
The First Hubble Detection Of A Secondary Eclipse From A Rocky Exoplanet: The 5.4-hour Planet TOI-2431 b
[astro-ph.EP] We present an HST/WFC3 G141 phase-curve observation of the ultra-short-period rocky planet TOI-2431 b and detect its secondary eclipse in the near infrared.
Posted inAnalog Studies
Offworld Expedition Training: Astronauts Explore An Ancient Earth Volcano
[ESA]. From its rim, remnants of recent eruptions lie open for this crew of astronauts learning geology for planetary exploration. Participants of PANGAEA’s 10th edition are ESA astronaut Pablo Álvarez Fernández, […]
Posted inLava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds
Revealing The Shiny Nature Of Lava Worlds: Small Planet Phase Curves With TESS
[astro-ph.EP] Recent thermal emission observations suggest that `lava worlds’–Earth-sized exoplanets hot enough to melt their silicate surfaces–have atmospheres on a population-level.
Posted inLava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds
Thermal Evolution of Lava Planets Across System Ages: Predictions for Hell of a Survey
[astro-ph.EP] Ultra-short-period (USP) rocky exoplanets can have dayside temperatures high enough to maintain permanent magma oceans, sitting at the intersection of interior geophysics and atmospheric chemistry. Coupled feedbacks between the […]
Posted inExtremeophiles and Extreme Environments
Hot Spring Organism Breaks Record For Heat Tolerance Of Complex Life
[Cell Press] A tiny, single-celled organism can thrive at temperatures that would kill all other known complex life.
Posted inLava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds
Atmosphere Detected On The Coldest Lava World To Date
[University of Chicago] In the search for extraterrestrial life, it makes sense to first look for rocky planets with an atmosphere, like Earth. Without an atmosphere, a planet can’t have […]