An MIT study finds an exoplanet, tilted on its side, could still be habitable if covered in ocean. Nearly 2,000 planets beyond our solar system have been identified to date. […]
extrasolar
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
What Asteroseismology Can Do for Exoplanets
We describe three useful applications of asteroseismology in the context of exoplanet science: (1) the detailed characterisation of exoplanet host stars; (2) the measurement of stellar inclinations; and (3) the […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
The Occurrence of Earth-Like Planets Around Other Stars
The quantity η⊕, the number density of planets per star per logarithmic planetary radius per logarithmic orbital period at one Earth radius and one year period, describes the occurrence of […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
The Habitable Zones of Pre-Main-Sequence Stars
We calculate the pre-main-sequence HZ for stars of spectral classes F to M. The spatial distribution of liquid water and its change during the pre-main-sequence phase of protoplanetary systems is […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life
Finding Infant Earths and Potential Life Just Got Easier
Among the billions and billions of stars in the sky, where should astronomers look for infant Earths where life might develop? New research from Cornell University’s Institute for Pale Blue […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Dynamics and Habitability in Binary Star Systems
Determining planetary habitability is a complex matter, as the interplay between a planet’s physical and atmospheric properties with stellar insolation has to be studied in a self consistent manner. Standardized […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Dynamics of Exoplanetary Systems, Links to Their Habitability
Our knowledge of planets’ orbital dynamics, which was based on Solar System studies, has been challenged by the diversity of exoplanetary systems. Around cool and ultra cool dwarfs, the influence […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Ground-Based Detection of Super-Earth Transit Paves Way to Remote Sensing of Small Exoplanets
Astronomers have measured the passing of a super-Earth in front of a bright, nearby Sun-like star using a ground-based telescope for the first time. he transit of the exoplanet 55 […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Ground-Based Transit Observations of the Super-Earth 55 Cnc e
We report the first ground-based detections of the shallow transit of the super-Earth exoplanet 55 Cnc e using a 2-meter-class telescope. Using differential spectrophotometry, we observed one transit in 2013 […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Dynamical Stability Study of Kepler Circumbinary Planetary Systems With One Planet
To date, 17 circumbinary planets have been discovered. In this paper, we focus our attention on the stability of the Kepler circumbinary planetary systems with only one planet, i.e. Kepler-16, […]