![CH Ind timing and inference. Top: the six differential nodes 𝐷 from equation (1); subtracting primary and secondary O–C values removes their common ephemeris or LTTE trend and isolates the first-order apsidal signal. Bottom: Monte Carlo posteriors for the displayed 0.08-dex common log 𝑘2 systematic; horizontal segments show central 68 per cent intervals.-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Stellar-Tidal.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] Thornton et al. (2026) reported 27 non-transiting circumbinary-planet candidates from excess apsidal motion in TESS eclipsing-binary timings. The classical stellar contribution is sensitive to target-specific radii, apsidal constants k2, […]
astronomy
Posted inPress Release
Habitable Worlds Observatory’s Concept and Technology Maturation: Initial Feasibility and Trade Space Exploration
[astro-ph.IM] The Habitable Worlds Observatory is the first telescope ever designed to search for life and will be a powerhouse of discovery across topics in astrophysics.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
NASA ROSES-25 Amendment 69: New Opportunity: D.9 Habitable Worlds Observatory Instrument Concept Assessments
[NASA] Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) Instrument Concept Assessments (HWO-ICA) program element D.9 of ROSES-25, solicits proposals to support maturation of the HWO mission concept. The objective of HWO-ICA is to […]
![Mapping of the science cases proposed by the Science Working Groups (center) to the questions and discovery areas identified by Astro2020 (left and right). The transparencies of the lines indicate the number of connections with darker lines indicating stronger links between the SWG and the Astro2020 topic. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Early-Exploration.png?resize=1200%2C711&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Early Exploration Of The Scientific Discovery Space For The Habitable Worlds Observatory
[astro-ph.IM] The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is a future NASA flagship mission concept identified by the Astro2020 Decadal Survey as the highest priority for large space missions. HWO should conduct […]
![Where the Dyson sphere on and off fits of M77 differ most, and how new photometry changes the comparison. In each panel, the upper sub-panel shows the median posterior AGENT-on (solid red) and AGENT-off (dashed blue) model spectra with shaded 16–84% posterior bands and the fitted photometry overplotted (open black circles), while the lower sub-panel shows the percent deviation of the AGENT-on model relative to the AGENT-off model, with the shaded band giving the 1σ uncertainty propagated in quadrature from the two independent fits. -- [astro-ph.GA]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/The-G.png?resize=1200%2C713&ssl=1)
Posted inSETI & Technosignatures
The Ĝ Infrared Search for Extraterrestrial Civilizations with Large Energy Supplies. V. When Galaxies Glow with Industry
[astro-ph.GA] We present the most robust stellar population synthesis (SPS)-based search for galaxy-spanning technological waste heat to date, applied to 129 nearby galaxies spanning a wide range of spectral energy […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Astrochemistry: A Cosmic Recycling System In Action In The Helix Nebula
[Northwestern University] An international team of scientists, including Northwestern University astrophysicists, has captured an unprecedented view of a dying star’s remains in the act of being recycled.
Posted inAstrochemistry
A Stellar Envelope Near The Black Hole Sgr A* Contains Water
[University of Cologne] Studies of the star IRS 3, located near the black hole at the centre of our galaxy, suggest that the star is emitting large quantities of gas […]
![Penalty incurred when phase is unknown, with polarimetry. The true phase set is α = (150◦, 120◦, 90◦, 60◦, 30◦, 5◦). Left: known-phase radius consequence, in which trial phases are fixed to the true set. Middle: unknown-phase radius consequence, in which trial phase tuples are marginalized over the sampled grid while the normalized I400 lightcurve shape is included with the intensive observables. Right: unknown-phase to known-phase penalty ratio. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Multiepoch.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Multi-epoch Ultraviolet Observables For Breaking The Radius-albedo Degeneracy In Directly Imaged Exoplanets
[astro-ph.EP] Direct imaging measures how bright a planet appears in reflected starlight, but brightness alone cannot tell whether the planet is large and dark or small and bright. This radius-albedo […]
![CAD layout of the MANTIS spacecraft showing how the instrument unit and spacecraft unit are distinct, with a single 37-pin micro-D connector between the two. This is a significant reduction in complexity to prior CU-LASP CubeSats where the instrument and spacecraft by necessity are integrated. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Optomechanical.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inCubesats and smallsats
Optomechanical Design of the MANTIS SmallSat: An Extreme-, Far- and Near-Ultraviolet Spectrograph for Exoplanet Host Stars
[astro-ph.IM] The MANTIS (Monitoring Activity of Nearby sTars with uv Imaging and Spectroscopy) observatory is a compact, multi-instrument small satellite designed for simultaneous extreme- (EUV; 100 – 560 Angstrom), far- […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Atmospheric Diversity of Giant Planet Analogs from 3-5µm with SPHEREx
[astro-ph.EP]. The emergent spectra of giant planets peak at thermal infrared wavelengths (3-5um) and possess atmospheric features in this regime that trace carbon chemistry, vertical mixing, clouds, and composition.