Cornell University Archives

A diagram depicting habitable zone boundaries across star type with rocky exoplanets from Bohl et al. (2026). The boundaries of the habitable zone shift based on star colour, since different wavelengths of light will heat a planet's atmosphere differently. Credit Gillis Lowry / Pablo Carlos Budassi Licence type Attribution (CC BY 4.0)

Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Gaia Mission, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, People Of Astrobiology, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1

Where To Find Other Earths? New List Narrows Down The Targets

by Keith CowingMarch 20, 2026March 20, 2026

New Cornell research – co-authored by an undergraduate and two recent alumni – will help exoplanet scientists pinpoint the most likely places to look for life in the universe out […]

Rosa Santomartino, assistant professor of biological and environmental engineering in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, prepares samples for the launch to the International Space Station. -- Cornell University

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Comets and Asteroids, Commercial & Private Sector, Exploration Gear & Tech, Meteorites & Asteroids, Microbiology & Virology, Microgravity, Nanotechnology & SynBio, Press Release, Space Stations

Microbes Harvest Metals From Meteorites Aboard The International Space Station

by Keith CowingFebruary 19, 2026February 19, 2026

If humankind is to explore deep space, one small passenger should not be left behind: microbes.

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release

Novel Way To Detect Signals From Stellar And Exoplanetary Systems Unveiled

by Keith CowingJanuary 30, 2026

An international team including Cornell researcher Jake Turner has developed a novel analysis method capable of uncovering previously undetectable stellar and exoplanetary signals hidden within archival radio-astronomical data.

Artist concept of a cloudy Earth-like exoplanet with colorful biota in the clouds. Adam B. Langeveld/Carl Sagan Institute. Adapted from NASA/Ames/JPL-Caltech.

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

How To Spot Life In The Clouds On Other Worlds

by Keith CowingNovember 12, 2025

An exoplanet with dense or even total cloud cover could help astronomers searching for signs of life beyond our planet.

The colours indicate the temperature and transparency indicates the relative contribution to the overall observed flux at the point of maximum visibility, based on the angle between a given point on the map and the line of sight to the observer. A maximum contribution of 1 indicates a latitude/longitude that is at the sub-observer point at some point during the observations. The dashed black curves delineate the three regions identified by the Eigenspectra mapping method. Evidence of multidimensional atmospheric structure can be seen in the varying hotspot temperature and shape with wavelength. -- Cornell University

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

3D Maps Bring Exoplanets Into Focus

by Keith CowingOctober 30, 2025October 30, 2025

Astronomers have generated the first three-dimensional map of a planet orbiting another star, revealing an atmosphere with distinct temperature zones – one so scorching that it breaks down water vapor, […]

Lisa Kaltenegger Credit: Ryan Young/Cornell University

Astrobiology (general), People Of Astrobiology, Press Release

Carl Sagan Medal Awarded To Astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger

by Keith CowingAugust 16, 2025August 16, 2025

Lisa Kaltenegger, associate professor in the Department of Astronomy in the College of Arts and Sciences, has been awarded the 2025 Carl Sagan Medal by the Division for Planetary Sciences […]

Compositions of igneous rocks from Earth, the Moon, Mars, and other differentiated bodies. The data shown are relatively comprehensive, giving a good indication of the distribution of rock compositions. Sources: Earth – IGBADAT5 from IUGS; Moon – MoonDB (moondb.org); Mars – Filiberto et al. 2017; Achondrites – Kimura et al. (2018)

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Scientists Compile Library For Evaluating Exoplanet Water

by Keith CowingNovember 15, 2024November 15, 2024

By probing chemical processes observed in the Earth’s hot mantle, Cornell scientists have started developing a library of basalt-based spectral signatures that not only will help reveal the composition of […]

This image, captured with the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, is the largest and sharpest image ever taken of the Andromeda galaxy — otherwise known as M31. This is a cropped version of the full image and has 1.5 billion pixels. You would need more than 600 HD television screens to display the whole image. Larger image

Astrobiology (general), Astrochemistry, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release

Nature’s Missing Evolutionary Law Identified

by Keith CowingAugust 26, 2024August 26, 2024

Darwin applied the theory of evolution to life on earth, but not to other massively complex systems like planets, stars, atoms and minerals. Now, an interdisciplinary group of researchers has […]

Cassini’s antenna is pointed at the predicted specular point where the angle of incidence (θi) equals the angle of reflection (θr), measured from the local vertical. Right circularly polarized (RCP) signals were transmitted, and at least one of the NASA Deep Space Network (DSN) antennas on Earth captured the echo. At the surface of Titan, a left circularly polarized (LCP) component of the echo signal was generated, requiring the presence on the ground of two receiving channels. Complex samples of each receiver output were collected at 16,000 samples/s and stored for later processing. The purpose of this figure is to illustrate the geometry of the observations and distances on the coordinate axes that are not drawn to scale. -- Nature Communications

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Cryobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

New Analysis Of Cassini Data Yields Insights Into Titan’s Seas

by Keith CowingJuly 29, 2024July 29, 2024

A new study of radar experiment data from the Cassini-Huygens mission to Saturn has yielded fresh insights related to the makeup and activity of the liquid hydrocarbon seas near the […]

Astrobiology (general), Conferences and Meetings, Education and Outreach, Press Release, Video, Audio, Webcasts, Podcasts

Astrobiology Graduate Conference (AbGradCon 2024) Is Underway

by Keith CowingJune 12, 2024June 12, 2024

The Astrobiology Graduate Conference (AbGradCon) is dedicated to early-career scientists who study the complex and diverse topics that the astrobiology field encompasses. The goal of AbGradCon, organized entirely by graduate […]