ExoEarth yield is a critical science metric for future exoplanet imaging missions. Here we estimate exoEarth candidate yield using single visit completeness for a variety of mission design and astrophysical […]
astro-ph.SR
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Effects of Stellar Winds on the Magnetospheres and Potential Habitability of Exoplanets
The principle definition of habitability for exoplanets is whether they can sustain liquid water on their surfaces, i.e. that they orbit within the habitable zone. However, the planet’s magnetosphere should […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Reconstructing the Cosmic Evolution of the Chemical Elements
The chemical elements are created in nuclear fusion processes in the hot and dense cores of stars. The energy generated through nucleosynthesis allows stars to shine for billions of years. […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Small Carbon Chains in Circumstellar Envelopes
Observations were made for a number of carbon-rich circumstellar envelopes using the Phoenix spectrograph on the Gemini South telescope to determine the abundance of small carbon chain molecules. Vibration-rotation lines […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry
Molecules with a peptide link in protostellar shocks: a comprehensive study of L1157
Interstellar molecules with a peptide link -NH-C(=O)-, like formamide (NH2 CHO), acetamide (NH2 COCH3) and isocyanic acid (HNCO) are particularly interesting for their potential role in pre-biotic chemistry. We have […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes
Indications of Water Clouds in the Coldest Known Brown Dwarf
We present a deep near-infrared image of the newly discovered brown dwarf WISE J085510.83-071442.5 (W0855) using the FourStar imager at Las Campanas Observatory. Our detection of J3=24.8+0.33 -0.53 (J_MKO=25.0+0.33-0.53) at […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Water Vapor Distribution in Protoplanetary Disks
Water vapor has been detected in protoplanetary disks. In this work we model the distribution of water vapor in protoplanetary disks with a thermo-chemical code. For a set of parameterized […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Characterizing the Parents: Exoplanets Around Cool Stars
The large majority of stars in the Milky Way are late-type dwarfs, and the frequency of low-mass exoplanets in orbits around these late-type dwarfs appears to be high. In order […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Water Vapor in the Spectrum of the Extrasolar Planet HD 189733b
We report near-infrared spectroscopy of the gas giant planet HD 189733b in transit. We used the Hubble Space Telescope Wide Field Camera 3 (HST WFC3) with its G141 grism covering […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
A Catalog of Nearby Cool Host-Stars for Habitable Exoplanets and Life
We present an all-sky catalog of 2970 nearby (d≲50 pc), bright ( J