[astro-ph.EP] Context. The crust composition of rocky exoplanets with a substantial atmosphere can not be observed directly. However, recent developments are starting to allow for the observation and characterisation of […]
atmosphere
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Atmospheric Escape Rates of Planets in Stellar Tidal Fields from 3-D Hydrodynamic Simulations
[astro-ph.EP] Thermally driven atmospheric escape, including photo-evaporation and core-powered mass-loss, plays a key role in shaping the evolution of close-in exoplanets, yet most current models rely on simplified one-dimensional descriptions […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
ANDES, The High-resolution Spectrograph Oof The ELT: Simulated Performance Of The CORO Module And Overview Of The High-contrast Capabilities For Exoplanet Observations
[astro-ph.IM] We present the simulated performance of the coronagraph (CORO) module for ANDES, the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) high-resolution spectrograph.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Detecting Habitable Exoplanet Atmospheres With LIFE, The Large Interferometer For Exoplanets
[astro-ph.IM] A key goal of astronomers with the next generation telescopes is to detect signs of life in exoplanet atmospheres. NASA’s next flagship is the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO).
Posted inBiogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology
Fire And Ice: Were Yellowstone’s Past Volcanic Eruptions And Glaciations Related?
[USGS/Yellowstone Volcano Observatory] Yellowstone is a land of fire and ice. Not only does it have a history of different styles of volcanic eruptions, but it has also been covered […]
Posted inMars
First Study Hints Solar Storms May Alter The Weather During Martian Dust Storms
[Royal Astronomical Society] Solar storms may affect weather on Mars when they strike at the same time as major Martian dust storms, a new study has suggested for the first […]
![Numerical computations corresponding to the candidate pattern in the H–alpha filter (λ0 = 656 nm), for the total flux (left) and the polarized flux (right). The background polarization signal has been subtracted from the latter. The decrease in spatial resolution due to the Earth’s atmosphere is not included. The planetary atmosphere is assumed to be horizontally homogeneous except for the gas density variations. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Planet-wide.png?resize=1200%2C711&ssl=1)
Posted inVenus
Planet-wide, Concentric Density Waves in Venus’s Upper Atmosphere Revealed through Polarimetry?
[astro-ph.EP] We report observations of faint (10−6), concentric, planet-wide rings in the polarized flux of sunlight that is reflected by Venus, obtained during a serendipitous, 36-minute run in 2010, with […]
![Models of mass-loss rate, outflow temperature, and H:He ratio for LHS 1140b in 2024. (A) Models of atmospheric mass-loss rate as a function of outflow temperature, 𝑇wind. Color indicates the normalized likelihood calculation, where zero corresponds to the maximum likelihood. Black contours indicate 1𝜎 and 3𝜎 derivations from the maximum likelihood. Data points with 1𝜎 error bars are the best-fitting values from the MCMC analysis of the 2024 spectrum of LHS 1140b, assuming an SED normalized to GJ 699 (black) or GJ 1132 (green). All models assumed the GJ 1132-normalized SED and fixed 𝑣wind the best-fitting value from the MCMC analysis. The dashed gray line shows a theoretical upper limit on the escape rate (see text). The dashed red line shows the theoretical minimum escape rate required to drag atomic oxygen in the outflow. The dashed black and green lines show the energy-limited escape rates calculated with the SEDs normalized by GJ 699 and GJ 1132, respectively. (B) Same as panel A, but as a function of the H:He ratio. Data points with dotted error bars assumed 10 times higher stellar XUV flux. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Helium-escaping.png?resize=1200%2C711&ssl=1)
Posted inHabitable Zones
Helium Escaping From The Atmosphere Of A Nearby Rocky Exoplanet Orbiting In A Habitable Zone
[astro-ph.EP] Observations of highly irradiated gas giant exoplanets have shown helium escaping from their atmospheres. There is limited evidence for atmospheres on rocky exoplanets, perhaps because they have already escaped.
![Schematic of the coupled interior-atmosphere evolutionary framework PROTEUS, showing the links between interior, surface, atmosphere, and stellar modules. Core components include SPIDER (mantle dynamics), CALLIOPE (surface in-/outgassing), AGNI/JANUS (radiativeand prescribed-convective atmospheres), ZEPHYRUS (atmospheric escape), and MORS (XUV stellar evolution). Modules exchange energy fluxes at each planetary interfaces—including core cooling, volatile outgassing, heat transport, heat loss to space, escape and stellar irradiation—while C–H–O–N–S volatiles are tracked throughout the mantle and atmosphere. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Atmospheric-evolution.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather
Atmospheric Evolution Through Outgassing And Escape On Young Molten Rocky Exoplanets
[astro-ph.EP] The earliest rocky planet atmospheres are shaped by competition between initial volatile inventories and atmospheric escape. On young magma ocean planets, outgassing competes with atmospheric escape, controlling volatile retention […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Sulfur Photochemistry Observationally Traces Mantle Redox States Of Rocky Planets
[astro-ph.EP] Volatile outgassing from planetary interiors controls the composition of rocky exoplanets’ secondary atmospheres. However, observations indicate that disequilibrium processes, such as photochemistry and vertical transport, can strongly alter the […]