This chapter reviews the current state of observational and theoretical efforts in the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres, with a focus on developments enabled through the Swiss National Centre for Competence […]
habitability
Posted inAnalog Studies, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Caves, Craters, Mountains, Subsurface, Lava Tubes, Desert Worlds, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Fossils & Paleontology, Habitable Zones, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Microbiology & Virology, Sample Return, Status Report
Extreme Arabian Environments And Their Microbiomes: New Frontiers For Astrobiology And Biosignature Discovery
Astrobiology assesses the habitability of planetary bodies and the potential for extraterrestrial life.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Goldilocks Problem For Detecting Water In Terrestrial Planets: Constraining Water Abundances In The mid-IR With LIFE
We investigate how well the Large Interferometer for Exoplanets (LIFE) mission concept can detect habitable conditions on exoplanets through the presence of atmospheric water vapor as a proxy for surface […]
![[L] The detrended and phase-folded RV time series of GJ 1132 b (top) and GJ 1132 c (bottom). Different draws of the Keplerian models from our posterior are superimposed in black. The different colored markers correspond to different RV time series. Binned data points are shown as red squares. [R] Phase-folded and detrended RV time series of LTT 3780 b (top) and LTT 3780 c (bottom). The best-fit Keplerian model is superimposed in black. The different colors and markers correspond to different RV time series. Binned data points are shown as red squares. -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Super-Earth-masses.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Super-Earth Masses And Stellar Abundances From NIRPS Reveal Tentative Evidence For Water-rich Formation Around M Dwarfs
Tracing the compositional link between terrestrial super-Earths and their host stars provides clues to their dominant formation pathway. By constraining the stellar abundances of refractory elements, we can predict the […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Hydrolyzed Hazes on Water-rich Exoplanets: Optical Constants and Detectability
Observations of temperate sub-Neptunes suggest active chemical environments, finding evidence of both water vapor and photochemical hazes in their atmospheres.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Mars, Status Report, Terraforming & Geoengineering, Venus
Habitability Study of Terrestrial Planets: Application to Venus-like Worlds
The study of planetary habitability beyond Earth remains a central and challenging project in planetary science. Analysis of large volumes of planetary data from space missions such as CoRoT, Kepler, […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Influence Of CO Versus CH4 On Organic Haze Formation In Atmospheres Of Diverse Terrestrial Exoplanets
Context. Terrestrial exoplanets are expected to host secondary, high-metallicity atmospheres derived from outgassing of volatiles such as N2, CO2, H2O, CH4, and CO. Photochemical organic hazes are likely to form […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Icy Worlds, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Status Report, Titan, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Experimental Insights Into The Azotosome Hypothesis In Titan’s Lake Fluid
Since the discovery of hydrocarbon lakes and seas on Saturn’s moon Titan, there has been much speculation on whether these could serve as suitable environments to host exotic life.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Fossils & Paleontology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Mapping, Geodesy, Cartography, Bathymetry, Mars, Missions & Hardware, Origin & Evolution of Life, Press Release, Robotics/Rovers/UAVs
Serendipitous Discovery Of Martian Ripple Marks Reveals An Ancient Sandstorm
The search for life on Mars involves the efforts of scientists from many different disciplines. An important aspect of that search is to study Martian sedimentary rocks for information about […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Press Release, Space Weather & Heliophysics, TRAPPIST-1
Resistive MHD Simulations of Stellar Wind-Magnetosphere Coupling in TRAPPIST-1e
Close-in terrestrial exoplanets around M dwarfs reside in dense, magnetized winds, where non-ideal plasma coupling can strongly affect how electromagnetic energy is redistributed within the dayside interaction region.