(Extract from the Executive Summary) Humanity stands at the threshold of answering one of its most profound questions: Does life exist beyond Earth?
astro-ph.IM
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The Case for High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy with the Habitable Worlds Observatory
A high-resolution near-IR spectroscopy capability on the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) could strongly and efficiently advance many of the mission’s goals.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Habitable Zones, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering
Exploring The Orbital Stability Of Large, Lightweight Mirrors Around Exoplanets
Extraterrestrial civilizations might place large, lightweight mirrors into orbit around an exoplanet, either to alter its climate or to provide illumination to the planet’s dark side. We previously analyzed the […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report
The Ohio SETI Program — The Last Decades
The Ohio State University Radio Observatory (OSURO), known as the Big Ear, played a pivotal role in both radio astronomy and the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI).
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Hubble Science in the 2030s White Paper: High-Contrast Optical and UV Spectroscopy with HST/STIS
The Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS) on the Hubble Space Telescope currently stands as the sole space-based astronomical facility providing visible-light coronagraphic imaging — and the only facility anywhere that […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Two Fabry-Perots and Two Calibration Units for CARMENES
The wavelength calibration and nightly drift measurements for CARMENES (Calar Alto high-Resolution search for M dwarfs with Exoearths with Near-infrared and optical Echelle Spectrographs) are provided by a combination of […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
GREX-PLUS Science Book v2
GREX-PLUS (Galaxy Reionization EXplorer and PLanetary Universe Spectrometer) is a mission candidate for a JAXA strategic L-class mission to be launched in the 2030s. Its primary science goals are two-fold: […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report
All-Sky Ultra-Narrowband Spectral Imaging with the OVRO-LWA: Technosignature Constraints and Axion-Like Particle Prospects
We present an imaging-domain search for technosignatures at decametric wavelengths with the OVRO-LWA, targeting ultra-narrowband continuous-wave signals between 50 and 86 MHz.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Characterizing Transiting Exoplanet Atmospheres in the 2030s with the Hubble Space Telescope
The Hubble Space Telescope inaugurated the era of exoplanet atmospheric characterization. While the James Webb Space Telescope has largely taken up the mantle of infrared atmospheric characterization, Hubble’s unique short-wavelength […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Sample Return, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report
Some Thoughts on the Future of Technosignature Searches: Constraining the Fermi Paradox
This paper examines how future technosignature searches may constrain competing resolutions of the Fermi Paradox, with particular attention to the possibility that technologically capable entities (TCEs) are either intrinsically rare […]