Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

Novel Physics of Escaping Secondary Atmospheres May Shape the Cosmic Shoreline

Recent James Webb Space Telescope observations of cool, rocky exoplanets reveal a probable lack of thick atmospheres, suggesting prevalent escape of the secondary atmospheres formed after losing primordial hydrogen.

Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Proxima Centauri, Radiation, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

Magnetic Interaction of Stellar Coronal Mass Ejections with Close-in Exoplanets: Implication on Planetary Mass Loss and Ly-α Transits

Coronal Mass Ejections (CMEs) erupting from the host star are expected to have effects on the atmospheric erosion processes of the orbiting planets. For planets with a magnetosphere, the embedded […]

Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

On The Local Formation Of The TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanets

The discovery of seven ~Earth-mass planets, orbiting the 0.09 solar mass M-Dwarf TRAPPIST-1 captivated the public and sparked a proliferation of investigations into the system’s origins. Among other properties, the […]

Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Rocky Planets Orbiting Small Stars Could Have Stable Atmospheres Needed To Support Life

Since its launch in late 2021, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has raised the possibility that we could detect signs of life on exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system.

Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1

Promise and Peril: Stellar Contamination and Strict Limits on the Atmosphere Composition of TRAPPIST-1c from JWST NIRISS Transmission Spectra

Attempts to probe the atmospheres of rocky planets around M dwarfs present both promise and peril. While their favorable planet-to-star radius ratios enable searches for even thin secondary atmospheres, their […]

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