In the hunt for life on other worlds, astronomers scour over planets that are light-years away. They need ways to identify life from afar — but what counts as good […]
astronomy
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Missions & Hardware, NASA Astrobiology Program, Policy, Press Release, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans
Report: An Astrobiology Strategy for the Search for Life in the Universe
Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe. It is an inherently interdisciplinary field that encompasses astronomy, biology, geology, heliophysics, and planetary […]
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Astronomy & Telescopes, Science Fiction, SETI & Technosignatures, Societal Issues
Going Off Source: Time Away With SETI In West Virginia
Keith Cowing: 27 years ago I made a trip to West Virginia to hang out with SETI researcher Jill Tarter and see how she searched the skies for evidence of […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Press Release
Next Generation Very Large Array: The Cradle of Life
This paper discusses compelling science cases for a future long-baseline interferometer operating at millimeter and centimeter wavelengths, like the proposed Next Generation Vary Large Array (ngVLA). We report on the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes
Light Echoes from n Carinae's Great Eruption: Spectrophotometric Evolution and the Rapid Formation of Nitrogen-rich Molecules
By obtaining images and spectra at the same light echo position between 2011 and 2014, we follow the evolution of the Great Eruption on a three-year timescale. By obtaining images […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
The Gemini Planet Imager: First Light
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) is a dedicated facility for directly imaging and spectroscopically characterizing extrasolar planets. It combines a very high-order adaptive optics system, a diffraction-suppressing coronagraph, and an […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Don't Forget F-type Stars in Search for Life
Scientists searching for habitable planets beyond Earth shouldn’t overlook F-type stars in favor of their more abundant, smaller and cooler cousins, according to new research from University of Texas at […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
A Small Step Toward Discovering Habitable Earths
University of Arizona researchers snapped images of a planet outside our solar system with an Earth-based telescope using essentially the same type of imaging sensor found in digital cameras instead […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Solar System Moons as Analogs for Compact Exoplanetary Systems
The field of exoplanetary science has experienced a recent surge of new systems that is largely due to the precision photometry provided by the Kepler mission. The latest discoveries have […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Exoplanet Adaptive Optics for the 5-meter Hale Telescope
We describe and report first results from PALM-3000, the second-generation astronomical adaptive optics facility for the 5.1-m Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory. PALM-3000 has been engineered for high-contrast imaging and […]