gas giants Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Astrobiology

Implementation of the FIM inside the IFS arm of SPHERE. On the left drawing, the SPHERE components are labelled in black, while the FIM components are labelled in red. The inset in the top right shows the components of the core optics bench. The light path in the system is fully illustrated in Vigan et al. (2022b, their Fig. 3). The picture on the right shows the FIM at the end of the installation in SPHERE. The IFS Lyot wheel is visible in the bottom left of the picture. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

First Light of VLT/HiRISE: High-resolution Spectroscopy Of Young Giant Exoplanets

by Keith CowingNovember 17, 2023

A major endeavor of this decade is the direct characterization of young giant exoplanets at high spectral resolution to determine the composition of their atmosphere and infer their formation processes […]

This artist’s concept shows what the sub-Neptune exoplanet TOI-421 b might look like. In a new study, scientists have found new evidence suggesting how these types of planets can lose their atmospheres. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, and D. Player (STScI)

Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Press Release

Data Reveals Possible Reason Some Exoplanets Are Shrinking

by Keith CowingNovember 16, 2023November 16, 2023

Some exoplanets seem to be losing their atmospheres and shrinking. In a new study using NASA’s retired Kepler Space Telescope, astronomers find evidence of a possible cause: The cores of […]

Giant planets in another star system

Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release

Giant Planets Cast A Deadly Pall – How They Can Prevent Life In Other Solar Systems

by Keith CowingNovember 1, 2023November 1, 2023

Giant gas planets can be agents of chaos, ensuring nothing lives on their Earth-like neighbors around other stars. New studies show, in some planetary systems, the giants tend to kick […]

Comparison of measured and simulated absorbances of C2H6 (top) and C2H2 (bottom) for a spectral resolution of 0.45 cm-1 in the case of the H2:CH4:N2 gas mixture after 24 hr of irradiation at 473 K. The simulated spectra were obtained following the procedure described in Section 2.2. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Experimental Investigation of the Photochemical Production of Hydrocarbons in Warm Gas Giant Exoplanet Atmospheres

by Keith CowingOctober 19, 2023October 19, 2023

In warm (equilibrium temperature <1000 K) gas giant exoplanet atmospheres, the observation of trace species in abundances deviating from thermochemical equilibrium predictions could be used as an indicator of disequilibrium […]

The completeness of our survey, annotated with 95%-confidence upper limits on the occurrence rate of giant planets around low-mass M dwarfs as a function of planetary mass and period/instellation/zero-albedo equilibrium temperature under the assumption of circular orbits. In regions where we are highly sensitive (i.e., short periods and large masses), we constrain the occurrence rate to < 1.5% with 95% confidence. The colorbar indicates Neff , the effective number of stars around which we are sensitive to the hypothetical planet. The arrows in the righthand plot show instellations equivalent to that of the water snow line (Podolak & Zucker 2004) (white), Jupiter (brown), and Neptune (blue). We are sensitive to MPsini = 1MJ planets at the water snow line for 83% of stars (occurrence rate < 1.8% with 95% confidence) and at Jupiter-like instellations for 70% of stars (occurrence rate < 2.1%). We remain sensitive to MPsini = 1MJ planets at Neptune-like instellations around 19% of stars (occurrence rate < 7.7%). -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report

Mid-to-Late M Dwarfs Lack Jupiter Analogs

by Keith CowingJune 14, 2023June 14, 2023

Cold Jovian planets play an important role in sculpting the dynamical environment in which inner terrestrial planets form. The core accretion model predicts that giant planets cannot form around low-mass […]

mini-Neptune TOI 560.01

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release

Puffy Planets Can Lose Their Atmospheres And Become Super-Earths

by Keith CowingMarch 7, 2023March 7, 2023

If our solar system were a hobbyist kit, it would come boxed up with four rocky terrestrial planets, like Earth; and four gas giant planets like Jupiter.

growth and migration phases

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Jupiter, Meteorites & Asteroids, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Early Water Delivery To Terrestrial Planet Regions During The Stages Of Jupiter’s Formation And Migration In The Grand Tack Model

by Keith CowingFebruary 1, 2023November 17, 2023

The formation and subsequent migration of gas giants could significantly affect the material mixing in the Solar System.

Atmospheric Monitoring

Astrochemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

Atmospheric Monitoring and Precise Spectroscopy of the HR 8799 Planets with SCExAO/CHARIS

by Keith CowingAugust 27, 2022September 4, 2022

The atmospheres of gas giant planets are thought to be inhomogeneous due to weather and patchy clouds. We present two full nights of coronagraphic observations of the HR 8799 planets […]