It is now understood that the accretion of terrestrial planets naturally involves giant collisions, the moon-forming impact being a well known example. In the aftermath of such collisions the surface […]
astro-ph.EP]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Habitable Zones with Stable Orbits for Planets around Binary Systems
A general formulation to compute habitable zones for binary stars is presented. We extend the simple formulation of the known concept: {\it circumstellar habitable zone} for single stars, to the […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Water Cycling Between Ocean and Mantle: Super-Earths Need Not be Waterworlds
Large terrestrial planets are expected to have muted topography and deep oceans, implying that most super-Earths should be entirely covered in water, so-called waterworlds. This is important because waterworlds lack […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
Calculating the Habitable Zone of Multiple Star Systems
We have developed a comprehensive methodology and an interactive website for calculating the habitable zone (HZ) of multiple star systems. Using the concept of spectral weight factor, as introduced in […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Microlensing Events by Proxima Centauri in 2014 and 2016: Opportunities for Mass Determination and Possible Planet Detection
We have found that Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, will pass close to a pair of faint background stars in the next few years. Using Hubble Space […]
Posted inIcy Worlds
Multi-Layer Hydrostatic Equilibrium of Planets and Synchronous Moons: Ceres and to Solar System Moons
The hydrostatic equilibrium of multi-layer bodies lacks a satisfactory theoretical treatment despite its wide range of applicability. Here we show that by using the exact analytical potential of homogeneous ellipsoids […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Probing Exo-Earth's Atmospheres During Primary Eclipse Observations
Most models used to predict or fit exoplanet transmission spectra do not include all the effects of atmospheric refraction. Namely, the angular size of the star with respect to the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Origin & Evolution of Life
The Effect of CO on Planetary Haze Formation
Organic haze plays a key role in many planetary processes ranging from influencing the radiation budget of an atmosphere to serving as a source of prebiotic molecules on the surface. […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
The Puzzling Chemical Composition of GJ 436b's Atmosphere
The dissipation of the tidal energy deposited on eccentric planets may induce a heating of the planet that affects its atmospheric thermal structure. Here we study the influence of tidal […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Spectra as Windows into Exoplanet Atmospheres
Understanding a planet’s atmosphere is a necessary condition for understanding not only the planet itself, but also its formation, structure, evolution, and habitability. This puts a premium on obtaining spectra, […]