The existence of a planet the size of Earth around the closest star in the solar system, Proxima Centauri, has been confirmed by an international team of scientists including researchers […]
extrasolar
Posted inPress Release, Proxima Centauri
The Effect of Substellar Continent Size on Ocean Dynamics of Proxima Centauri b
The potential habitability of tidally locked planets orbiting M-dwarf stars has been widely investigated in recent work, typically with a non-dynamic ocean and without continents. On Earth, ocean dynamics are […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release, Proxima Centauri
Revisiting Proxima With ESPRESSO
We aim to confirm the presence of Proxima b using independent measurements obtained with the new ESPRESSO spectrograph, and refine the planetary parameters taking advantage of its improved precision. We […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release, Proxima Centauri
Atmospheric Convection Plays A Key Role In The Climate Of Tidally-locked Terrestrial Exoplanets: Insights From High-resolution Simulations
Using a 3D general circulation model (GCM), we investigate the sensitivity of the climate of tidally-locked Earth-like exoplanets, Trappist-1e and Proxima Centauri b, to the choice of a convection parameterization. […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release, Proxima Centauri
Proxima Centauri b: A Strong Case for Including Cosmic-Ray-induced Chemistry in Atmospheric Biosignature Studies
Due to its Earth-like minimum mass of 1.27 ME and its close proximity to our Solar system, Proxima Centauri b is one of the most interesting exoplanets for habitability studies.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Proxima Centauri
The UV Surface Habitability of Proxima b: First Experiments Revealing Probable Life Survival To Stellar Flares
We use a new interdisciplinary approach to study the UV surface habitability of Proxima b under quiescent and flaring stellar conditions. We assumed planetary atmospheric compositions based on CO2 and […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Detection Of Na, K And H2O In The Hazy Atmosphere Of WASP-6b
We present new observations of the transmission spectrum of the hot Jupiter WASP-6b both from the ground with the Very Large Telescope (VLT) FOcal Reducer and Spectrograph (FORS2) from 0.45-0.83 […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Atmospheric Characterization of Terrestrial Exoplanets in the Mid-infared: Biosignatures, Habitability and Diversity
Exoplanet science is one of the most thriving fields of modern astrophysics. A major goal is the atmospheric characterization of dozens of small, terrestrial exoplanets in order to search for […]
Posted inPress Release, TRAPPIST-1
Eccentricities and The Stability of Closely-Spaced Five-Planet Systems
We investigate the stability of idealized planetary systems consisting of five planets, each equal in mass to the Earth, orbiting a one solar mass star. All planets orbit in the […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Press Release
Shining (Star)light on the Search for Life
In the hunt for life on other worlds, astronomers scour over planets that are light-years away. They need ways to identify life from afar — but what counts as good […]