Goldilocks zone Archives - Astrobiology

Located about 39 light-years from Earth, the TRAPPIST system resembles a miniature version of our solar system: The star, an ultracool red dwarf, and all its planets would comfortably fit inside the orbit of planet Mercury. Credit NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Titan, TRAPPIST-1

A New Look At TRAPPIST-1e, An Earth-sized, Habitable-zone Exoplanet

by Keith CowingDecember 5, 2025December 5, 2025

Of the seven Earth-sized worlds orbiting the red dwarf star TRAPPIST-1, one planet in particular has attracted the attention of scientists, because it orbits the star within the “Goldilocks zone” […]

After arrival at ESTEC, the European Space Agency’s Plato spacecraft was unloaded from its container and moved into the cleanroom. Here it is tilted to a horizontal position on a rolling platform. The spacecraft is under protective film, and all 26 cameras have gold-coloured covers. Credit ESA-SJM Photography larger image

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, PLATO, Press Release

Plato Habitable Planet Observing Telescope Arrives at ESTEC

by Keith CowingSeptember 12, 2025April 27, 2026

The European Space Agency’s Plato spacecraft has safely arrived at ESTEC, ESA’s technical heart in the Netherlands. There, engineers will complete the spacecraft by connecting its solar panels and sunshield, […]

This illustration shows the seven Earth-size planets of TRAPPIST-1, an exoplanet system about 40 light-years away, based on data current as of February 2018. The image shows the planets relative sizes but does not represent their orbits to scale. The art highlights possibilities for how the surfaces of these intriguing worlds might look based on their newly-calculated properties. The seven planets of TRAPPIST-1 are all Earth-sized and terrestrial. TRAPPIST-1 is an ultra-cool dwarf star in the constellation Aquarius, and its planets orbit very close to it. Larger image

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

Rocky Planets Orbiting Small Stars Could Have Stable Atmospheres Needed To Support Life

by Keith CowingOctober 25, 2024October 25, 2024

Since its launch in late 2021, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has raised the possibility that we could detect signs of life on exoplanets, or planets outside our solar system.

ASHC plotted against V − Ks magnitude for 1533/1546 exoplanets that satisfy the selection criteria defined in Section 2; the other 13 planets have ASHC values >100. We are interested in planets with ASHC ≳1 as they have the greatest probability to support habitable conditions, i.e., are less likely to have a direct magnetic connection to their host star. Two planets from our sample have orbits where the uncertainty in the measurement of the planet's orbital distance spans the mean Alfvén surface, i.e., the planet may have an orbit on either side of the ASHC = 1 line. These have been marked by empty circles. The planets are color-coded by their mass classification. The inset indicates the number of planets in each planetary category. The filled circles denote the 95 planets in our sample that orbit within their star's CHZ. Planets for which the mass/size information is lacking are shown as black crosses (i.e., planets with no determined size class). -- Rice University

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics

Exploring The Effects Of Stellar Magnetism On Potential Habitability Of Exoplanets

by Keith CowingJuly 24, 2024July 24, 2024

Interest in Earth-like planets orbiting within the habitable zone of their host stars has surged, driven by the quest to discover life beyond our solar system. But the habitability of […]

The HD 48 948 system configuration: The inner planetary candidates, depicted in orange and blue, have circular orbits of 7.3 and 38 d, respectively. The outer planetary candidate, illustrated in green, has an orbit of 151 d. A selection of 100 random orbits from the MCMC chains for each of the three planetary candidate are represented in lighter shades. The habitable zone boundaries, shown as sky-blue shaded regions, are calculated as outlined in Section 8.2, based on the findings of Kopparapu et al. (2013). -- MRAS

Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release

Three Potential Super-Earths Discovered Around Nearby Star HD 48 948

by Keith CowingJune 26, 2024September 18, 2025

Astronomers have discovered three potential “super-Earth” exoplanets orbiting a relatively nearby orange dwarf star. This groundbreaking find was made by an international team of researchers led by Dr Shweta Dalal […]

A Water World - NASA

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

A New Way To Identify Liquid Water On Exoplanets

by Keith CowingJanuary 3, 2024January 3, 2024

Scientists have devised a new way to identify habitable planets and potentially inhabited planets, by comparing the amount of carbon dioxide in their atmosphere, to neighbouring planets.

A view of Mercury’s north polar chaotic terrain (Borealis Chaos) and the Raditladi and Eminescu craters where evidence of possible glaciers has been identified. Credit: NASA.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mercury, Press Release

Unveiling Mercury’s Geological Mysteries: Salt Glaciers, Primordial Atmosphere, and the New Frontiers of Astrobiology

by Keith CowingNovember 17, 2023November 17, 2023

Scientists from the Planetary Science Institute have uncovered evidence of potential salt glaciers on Mercury, opening a new frontier in astrobiology by revealing a volatile environment that might echo habitability […]