One of the major goals for astronomy in the next decades is the remote search for biosignatures (i.e.\ the spectroscopic evidence of biological activity) in exoplanets. Here, we adopt a […]
exoplanet
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Citizen Science / Open Science, Extinction events, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics
Exploding Stars May Have Caused Mass Extinction On Earth
Imagine reading by the light of an exploded star, brighter than a full moon – it might be fun to think about, but this scene is the prelude to a […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Optical Transmission Spectroscopy of the Terrestrial Exoplanet LHS 3844b from 13 Ground-Based Transit Observations
Atmospheric studies of spectroscopically accessible terrestrial exoplanets lay the groundwork for comparative planetology between these worlds and the Solar System terrestrial planets. LHS 3844b is a highly-irradiated terrestrial exoplanet (R=1.303+/-0.022R_Earth) […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Effects of Flux Variation on the Surface Temperatures of Earth-like Circumbinary Planets
The Kepler Space telescope has uncovered around thirteen circumbinary planets (CBPs) that orbit a pair of stars and experience two sources of stellar flux. We characterize the top-of-atmosphere flux and […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
LOUPE: Observing Earth From The Moon To Prepare For Detecting life On Earth-like Exoplanets
LOUPE, the Lunar Observatory for Unresolved Polarimetry of the Earth, is a small, robust spectro-polarimeter with a mission to observe the Earth as an exoplanet. Detecting Earth-like planets in stellar […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Colors of an Earth-like Exoplanet – Temporal Flux And Polarization Signals Of The Earth
Understanding the total flux and polarization signals of Earth-like planets and their spectral and temporal variability is essential for the future characterization of such exoplanets. We provide computed total (F) […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Bayesian Dynamic Mapping of an Exo-Earth from Photometric Variability
Photometric variability of a directly imaged exo-Earth conveys spatial information on its surface and can be used to retrieve a two-dimensional geography and axial tilt of the planet (spin-orbit tomography). […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Neptune, Press Release
The Habitable-zone Planet Finder Reveals A High Mass and a Low Obliquity for the Young Neptune K2-25b
Using radial-velocity data from the Habitable-zone Planet Finder, we have measured the mass of the Neptune-sized planet K2-25b, as well as the obliquity of its M4.5-dwarf host star in the […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Could Mini-Neptunes Be Irradiated Ocean Planets?
Many exoplanets known today are “super-Earths”, with a radius 1.3 times that of Earth, and “mini-Neptunes”, with 2.4 Earth radii. Mini-Neptunes, which are less dense, were long thought to be […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
The Influence Of Bulk Composition On Long-term Interior-atmosphere Evolution of Terrestrial Exoplanets
Aims: The secondary atmospheres of terrestrial planets form and evolve as a consequence of interaction with the interior over geological time. We aim to quantify the influence of planetary bulk […]