Many features of the outer solar system are replicated in numerical simulations if the giant planets undergo an orbital instability that ejects one or more ice giants. During this instability, […]
extrasolar
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
First 3-D Simulation of Exotic Clouds on an Exoplanet
Scientists have catalogued nearly 2,000 exoplanets around stars near and far. While most of these are giant and inhospitable, improved techniques and spacecraft have uncovered increasingly smaller worlds. The day […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
CELESTA: A Database of Habitable Zones around Nearby Stars
Locating planets in circumstellar Habitable Zones is a priority for many exoplanet surveys. Space-based and ground-based surveys alike require robust toolsets to aid in target selection and mission planning. We […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Space Telescope Design to Directly Image the Habitable Zone of Alpha Centauri
The scientific interest in directly image and identifying Earth-like planets within the Habitable Zone (HZ) around nearby stars is driving the design of specialized direct imaging mission such as ACESAT, […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Growing Terrestrial Planets from Gradual Accumulation of Sub-meter Sized Objects
Building the terrestrial planets has been a challenge for planet formation models. In particular, classical theories have been unable to reproduce the small mass of Mars and instead predict that […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Stratospheric Temperatures and Water Loss from Moist Greenhouse Atmospheres of Earth-like Planets
A radiative-convective climate model is used to calculate stratospheric temperatures and water vapor concentrations for ozone-free atmospheres warmer than that of modern Earth. Cold, dry stratospheres are predicted at low […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Potential of Planets Orbiting Red Dwarf Stars to Support Oxygenic Photosynthesis and Complex Life
Focusing on planets orbiting Red Dwarf (RD) stars, the most abundant stellar type, we show that including RDs as potential host stars could increase the probability of finding biotic planets […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Radiation
Earth-like planets Around Small Stars May Have Magnetic Fields Aiding Chances for Life
Earth-like planets orbiting close to small stars probably have magnetic fields that protect them from stellar radiation and help maintain surface conditions that could be conducive to life. A planet’s […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Stellar Atmospheres Can be Used to Predict Composition of Rocky Exoplanets
In two recently published articles researchers from Instituto de Astrofsica e Cincias do Espao (IA3) show that the ratio of some heavy elements in a star, like Magnesium (Mg), Silicon […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Oxygen Is Not Definitive Evidence of Life on Extrasolar Planets
The Earth’s atmosphere contains oxygen because plants continuously produce it through photosynthesis. This abundant supply of oxygen allows life forms like animals to flourish. Therefore, oxygen had been thought to […]