One of the primary mission goals of the Kepler space telescope was to detect Earth-like terrestrial planets in the habitable zone around Sun-like stars. These planets are at the detection […]
astro-ph.EP
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, TRAPPIST-1
Overestimated Pressure Broadening Misleads Model Spectra in Cool M Dwarf Stars
Available one-dimensional stellar models fail to reproduce the observed spectrum of the ultracool M dwarf TRAPPIST-1.
Posted inBeta Pictoris, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Transit Distances And Composition Of Low-velocity Exocomets In The β Pictoris System
β Pictoris is a young nearby A5V star, about 20 Myr old, embedded in a prominent debris disc. For the past 40 years, variable absorption features have been observed in […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
SPHEREx Re-Observation of Interstellar Object 3I/ATLAS in December 2025: Detection of Increased Post-Perihelion Activity, Refractory Coma Dust, and New Coma Gas Species
In December-2025, the NASA SPHEREx spacecraft re-observed ISO 3I/ATLAS post-perihelion, finding a much more active object compared to August-2025 SPHEREx pre-perihelion observations, with marked evidence for development into an cometary […]
Posted inComets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
A Nomenclature For Individual Exocomets
With recent observational advancements, exocomet studies have entered a new era: we have moved from an epoch where exocomets’ signatures were analysed to identify their true nature to a new […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
Toward Reliable Interpretations of Small Exoplanet Compositions: Comparisons and Considerations of Equations of State and Materials Used in Common Rocky Planet Models
The bulk compositions of small planets (Rp<2R⊕) are directly linked to their formation histories, making reliable compositional constraints imperative for testing models of planet formation and evolution.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Comets and Asteroids, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Functionalization Of Benzene Ices by Atomic Oxygen
Small aromatic molecules, including functionalized derivatives of benzene, are known to be present throughout the different stages of star and planet formation. In particular, oxygen-bearing monosubstituted aromatics, likely including phenol, […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Characterization Of Two New Transiting Sub-Neptunes And A Terrestrial Planet Around M-dwarf Hosts
We report the confirmation of three transiting exoplanets orbiting TOI-1243 (LSPM~J0902+7138), TOI-4529 (G~2–21), and TOI-5388 (Wolf~346) that were initially detected by TESS through ground-based photometry and radial velocity follow-up measurements […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Habitable Zones, Status Report
Stellar Control On Atmospheric Carbon Chemistry, CO Runaway, And Organic Synthesis On Lifeless Earth-like planets
The abundances of atmospheric carbon species–carbon dioxide (CO2), carbon monoxide (CO), and methane (CH4)–exert fundamental controls on the climate, redox state, and prebiotic environment of terrestrial planets.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Setting Up The Physical Principles Of Resilience In A Model Of The Earth System
Resilience is a property of social, ecological, social-ecological and biophysical systems. It describes the capacity of a system to cope with, adapt to and innovate in response to a changing […]