[astro-ph.EP] With the ability to directly image Earth-like exoplanets and search their atmospheres for biosignatures, the upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will also collect high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) reflected-light photometry […]
habitability
Posted inMars
Deep Learning of SHERLOC Raman Spectra For Facilitating Mars Astromaterial Identification
[Spectrochimica Acta Part A: Molecular and Biomolecular Spectroscopy] Raman spectroscopy has been explored for planetary exploration, particularly through the SHERLOC instrument for Mars habitability and astromaterial search tasks.
![Radial velocity timeseries of K2-3 used in the analysis. Here the second dimension for the multi-dimensional quasi-periodic gaussian process kernes used the D2V activity indicator to disentangle the stellar activity from the Keplerian signals. The Keplerian models for all three planets are assumed to be circular orbits for this figure (Model 1 in Table C.3). The various instruments used in the analysis are colour coded. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Uncovering.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Uncovering Temperate Worlds: An Updated Look At The K2-3 System With ESPRESSO
[astro-ph.EP] The K2-3 system is one of the most unique planetary systems as it features three transiting sub-Neptunes in decreasing order of radii, spanning the radius valley.
Posted inOrigin & Evolution of Life
The Abiotic Background: Challenges and Opportunities in the Search for Evidence of Life Beyond Earth
[Astrobiology (Journal) via PubMed]. The “Exploring the Abiotic Background for Life Detection“ workshop was convened between March 31, 2025, and April 3, 2025, at the Carnegie Institution for Science in […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth (SHAPE) on Chandrayaan-3: Instrument Characteristics, Calibration and Onboard Performance
[astro-ph.IM] The orbiter of the Chandrayaan-3 mission of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) carries an experimental payload called SHAPE (Spectro-polarimetry of HAbitable Planet Earth). This payload makes disc-integrated observations […]
![Set B latitudinal annual temperature variation of Gl 514 b after 10 Myr evolution for two different orbital configurations. The nearly horizontal contours after ∼5 Myr indicate the model prediction has stabilized. Left panel: surface temperature (in °C) for e = 0.45. Right panel: e = 0.62. Note that the color bar for the right panel is not the same due to the large difference in surface temperature between each simulation.-- [Planetary Science Journal]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Climates.png?resize=1200%2C722&ssl=1)
Posted inHabitable Zones
Climates Of Gl 514 b
[Planetary Science Journal] The continuous discovery of exoplanets, each with distinctive stellar and planetary properties, along with the development of higher resolution ground and space telescopes has positioned climate evolution […]
Posted inMars
Landforms In Ares Vallis Carved Out By Ancient Water Flow
[NASA]. Ares Vallis is a large valley that was carved billions of years ago by water flowing across the surface of Mars.
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
The Long-term Persistence Of Microbial Biospheres Introduces A Temporal Bias 1 Into The Drake Equation: Implications For The Search For Extraterrestrial Life
[eartharxiv.org] The Drake equation was designed to estimate the number of communicative technological civilisations, not the prevalence of life. Its lifetime term therefore describes a detectable technological phase that may […]
![Left: Average ocean fraction, calculated assuming a seawater freezing point of −1.8°𝐶 for Cases 1 and 3 and 0°𝐶 for Case 2. White shows the ice, and blue ocean. Middle: The mean near-surface air temperatures. Shown within the black contours are the regions where these vary between above and below freezing over the course of a single Earth year. Right: The mean surface temperatures. Also shown within the black contours are the regions where these vary between above and below freezing over the course of a single Earth year: these regions are narrower than the air ‘perifreezing zone’.-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Sea-Ice.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inWater/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Sea Ice As An Origin Of Life Location For Hycean And Ocean Worlds
[astro-ph.EP] Water worlds with potential deep oceans are at the forefront of currently observable exoplanetary habitability.
Posted inLava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds
Atmosphere Detected On The Coldest Lava World To Date
[University of Chicago] In the search for extraterrestrial life, it makes sense to first look for rocky planets with an atmosphere, like Earth. Without an atmosphere, a planet can’t have […]