An accurate estimate of the inner edge of the habitable zone is critical for determining which exoplanets are potentially habitable and for designing future telescopes to observe them. Here, we […]
extrasolar planet
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Atmospheric Retrieval of Exoplanets
Exoplanetary atmospheric retrieval refers to the inference of atmospheric properties of an exoplanet given an observed spectrum. The atmospheric properties include the chemical compositions, temperature profiles, clouds/hazes, and energy circulation. […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Press Release
Mineralogy, Structure and Habitability of Carbon-enriched Rocky Exoplanets: A Laboratory Approach
Carbon-enriched rocky exoplanets have been proposed around dwarf stars as well as around binary stars, white dwarfs and pulsars. However, the mineralogical make up of such planets is poorly constrained. […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
New IR Instrument Searches for Habitable Planets
A new instrument to search for potentially habitable/inhabited planets has started operation at the Subaru Telescope. This instrument, IRD (InfraRed Doppler), will look for habitable planets around red dwarf stars. […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Exoplanet Atmospheres at High Spectral Resolution
The spectrum of an exoplanet reveals the physical, chemical, and biological processes that have shaped its history and govern its future. However, observations of exoplanet spectra are complicated by the […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Investigating Planet Formation and Evolutionary Processes with Short-Period Exoplanets
From wispy gas giants on the verge of disruption to tiny rocky bodies already falling apart, short-period exoplanets pose a severe puzzle to theories of planet formation and orbital evolution. […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Stable Equatorial Ice Belts at High Obliquity in a Coupled Ocean-atmosphere Model
Various climate states at high obliquity are realized for a range of stellar irradiance using a dynamical atmosphere-ocean-sea ice climate model in an aquaplanet configuration. Three stable climate states are […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Precision Space Astrometry as a Tool to Find Earth-like Exoplanets
Because of the recent technological advances, the key technologies needed for precision space optical astrometry are now in hand. The Microarcsecond Astrometry Probe (MAP) mission concept is designed to find […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Exploring the Cosmic Evolution of Habitability with Galaxy Merger Trees
We combine inferred galaxy properties from a semi-analytic galaxy evolution model incorporating dark matter halo merger trees with new estimates of supernova and gamma ray burst rates as a function […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Space Technology for Directly Imaging and Characterizing Exo-Earths
The detection of Earth-like exoplanets in the habitable zone of their stars, and their spectroscopic characterization in a search for biosignatures, requires starlight suppression that exceeds the current best ground-based […]