The search for life beyond Earth will depend on detecting faint signatures in the atmospheres of potentially habitable exoplanets.
habitability
Posted inCallisto, Europa, Ganymede, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Journal articles, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Radar Echoes From Europa Reveal Secrets Beneath the Ice
A team of scientists has used NASA’s Goldstone Solar System Radar and the U.S. National Science Foundation Green Bank Telescope (NSF GBT) to carry out the most extensive radar study […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Desert Worlds, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Status Report
Coupling Dynamical Accretion And Chemical Differentiation: A Unified Framework For Earth-Mars Diversity
The distinct physical and geochemical differences between Earth and Mars provide fundamental constraints on terrestrial planet formation, yet a self-consistent framework linking dynamical and chemical aspects remains elusive.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Habitable Zones, Status Report
Reflections of Life: Distinguishing Living from Nonliving Worlds with Complexity Metrics
Detecting life beyond Earth is the primary goal of astrobiology. In this study, we showcase the effectiveness of information and complexity-based metrics for detecting signs of life on exoplanets.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
Summary Of The First Year Of The Space Weather Around Young Suns Program: 900 Hours Of Low-frequency Radio And Optical Data Dedicated To Young, Solar-type Stars
The Space Weather Around Young Suns (SWAYS) program was introduced in Davis2025 as a multi-wavelength monitoring program for studying the activity and particle environments of nearby, young, solar-type stars.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Connecting Polarization To Exoplanet Yield Calculations For Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO)
The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) aims to enable the detection and characterization of Earth-like planets around Sun-like stars to search for possible signs of life elsewhere in our universe.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Exploring Exoplanets with Interferometry
(Extract from the Executive Summary) Humanity stands at the threshold of answering one of its most profound questions: Does life exist beyond Earth?
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The Case for High-Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy with the Habitable Worlds Observatory
A high-resolution near-IR spectroscopy capability on the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) could strongly and efficiently advance many of the mission’s goals.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
A Warmer World May Redraw Earth’s Sunlight Map
Sunlight follows a rhythm set by Earth’s orbit and tilt: long summer days, dark winters, and a familiar seasonal cycle from low to high latitudes.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, TRAPPIST-1
Ultraviolet-Driven Atmospheric Degeneracies Challenge Conventional Biosignature Frameworks for Terrestrial Planets with Ultracool M Dwarf Hosts: An Archean-Analog TRAPPIST-1 e Case Study
The ultraviolet (UV) spectrum of a host star strongly shapes the atmospheric composition and potential biosignatures of its planets. This relationship may be especially important for the planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1, […]