The increasing number of newly detected exoplanets at short orbital periods raises questions about their formation and migration histories. A particular puzzle that requires explanation arises from one of the […]
exoplanet
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
A Virtual Planet Simulator for Modeling Distant Worlds Across Time
University of Washington astrobiologist Rory Barnes has created software that simulates multiple aspects of planetary evolution across billions of years, with an eye toward finding and studying potentially habitable worlds. […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Press Release
Atmospheric Scintillation Noise in Ground-Based Exoplanet Photometry
Atmospheric scintillation caused by optical turbulence in the Earth’s atmosphere can be the dominant source of noise in ground-based photometric observations of bright targets, which is a particular concern for […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Some Exoplanets May Have Greater Variety Of Life Than Exists On Earth
A new study indicates that some exoplanets may have better conditions for life to thrive than Earth itself has. “This is a surprising conclusion”, said lead researcher Dr Stephanie Olson, […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
The Search for Living Worlds and the Connection to Our Cosmic Origins
One of the most exciting scientific challenges is to detect Earth-like planets in the habitable zones of other stars in the galaxy and search for evidence of life. The ability […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Earth As An Exoplanet: A Two-dimensional Alien Map
Resolving spatially-varying exoplanet features from single-point light curves is essential for determining whether Earth-like worlds harbor geological features and/or climate systems that influence habitability. To evaluate the feasibility and requirements […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Identifying Atmospheres on Rocky Exoplanets Through Inferred High Albedo
The upcoming launch of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) means that we will soon have the capability to characterize the atmospheres of rocky exoplanets. However, it is still unknown […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
A Scaling Theory for Atmospheric Heat Redistribution on Rocky Exoplanets
Atmospheric heat redistribution shapes the remote appearance of rocky exoplanets but there is currently no easy way to predict a planet’s heat redistribution from its physical properties. In this paper […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
Our Changing Views of Habitable Planets
[NASA]. The main idea is easy to grasp: Set Goldilocks loose in our galaxy and let her choose a planet that’s “just right.” For decades, the Goldilocks zone has been […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
Atmospheric Dynamics on Terrestrial Planets: The Seasonal Response to changes in Orbital, Rotational and Radiative Timescales
Thousands of exoplanets have been detected to date, and with future planned missions this tally will increase. Understanding the climate dependence on the planetary parameters is vital for the study […]