[Caltech] Outside of our solar system, scientists estimate that billions of worlds exist in the Milky Way galaxy alone. Called exoplanets, these celestial objects represent a chance to find other […]
Habitable Worlds Observatory
![The telescope flying in formation with the starshade. The telescope can detect and characterize exoplanets viewable near or beyond the angular radius of the starshade as seen from the telescope, which defines the inner working angle (IWA). Figure adopted from the Habex final report [9].-- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Propulsion.jpg?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Propulsion Systems For A Starshade Rendezvous Mission With The Habitable Worlds Observatory
[astro-ph.IM] We assess how propulsion and operational constraints affect exo-Earth characterization with a starshade rendezvous mission for a Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO)-like telescope at Sun-Earth L2.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Systematic Uncertainties in Rocky Exoplanet Reflected Light from Incomplete Laboratory BRDF Measurements
[astro-ph.EP] The first observations of short-period rocky exoplanets have initiated the era of terrestrial exoplanet characterization. The interpretation of these observations relies on forward models used in atmospheric and surface […]
![Optical layout of the HRI Imager. Light from the telescope focal plane is folded by COL-M1, collimated by COL-M2 to a 40 mm pupil where the forward interchange mechanism divides the beam, and re-imaged by four surfaces in each arm. Seven reflections separate the telescope from the UVIS detector and six from the NIR detector, which is the shortest path we found that meets the requirements of Section 2, and the basis of the throughput and coating arguments of Section 3.8. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/A-design-concept.jpg?resize=1200%2C722&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
A Design Concept For The High Resolution Imager On The Habitable Worlds Observatory
[astro-ph.IM] The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will be NASA’s next flagship astrophysics mission, designed to search for signs of life on planets around nearby stars and conduct transformational science across […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Wavefront-Conditioned Photon Measurements for Exoplanet Spectroscopy: Contrast Limits and Conditional Gains
[astro-ph.IM]. A wavefront-sensor (WFS) prediction can select the photon measurement before detection or condition its likelihood afterward.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather
Simulations Of The Evolving Ozone Layer: Implications For The Early Earth, Exoplanets, And The Search For Life
[astro-ph.EP] Over 4 billion years, Earth’s atmosphere has been transformed from a composition devoid of molecular oxygen (O2) to one where O2 is now 21% of our modern atmosphere by […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Ultraviolet Reflected-Light Spectroscopy of Modern Earth Analogs with Starshade Observations
[astro-ph.EP] Characterizing rocky, habitable zone planets in reflected light is a key science objective for future direct imaging missions, and the ultraviolet (UV) is uniquely suited for supporting the characterization […]
![[Left]: A concept raytrace showing the IFS, with just the FUV channels shown. The NUV channels take the zero-order from each FUV grating and reflect it towards the IFS fold mirror (on either side) into a similar format NUV IFS (see Haughton et al., 2026 for a depiction of the INFUSE design that this IFS is based on13). The IFS assembly is forward (out of the page) from the MOS at the focal plane, with the IFS fold mirror canted slightly to move the slicer, gratings, and detectors over 0.7 meters from the MOS optical path. [Right]: The slicer-based IFS operates by reflecting portions of the image plane to different gratings, which then focus a spectrogram to a unique portion of the detector. In essence, each reflective slice operates like a long-slit spectrograph, with the slicer geometry separating the multi-slit spectrograph to avoid spectral confusion.-- astro-ph.IM](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/An-Ultraviolet.png?resize=1200%2C563&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
An Ultraviolet Instrument On The Habitable Worlds Observatory: Considerations and Capability Trades On The Multi-Object, Integral-field, and High-resolution Modes Of A Potential UVI
[astro-ph.IM] The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is NASA’s next-generation astrophysics platform, delivering transformative capability in the search for life and study of the origins of the universe.
![All plot facets identical to Figure 5. Simultaneous characterization of H2O and O2. Detector noise and thermal emission are included. Shorter wavelengths are preferred for dual detection, but result in lower yields. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Possible-Observational.png?resize=1200%2C716&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Possible Observational Survey Strategies to Maximize Exoplanet Yields: A Report from the Survey Strategies Task Group in the Exoplanet Science Yields Working Group
[astro-ph.EP] We present a variety of possible observational sequences from planet detection to characterization (i.e., survey strategies) for the initial exoEarth detection and characterization survey phase of the Habitable Worlds […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Photonic Integrated Circuits for the Habitable Worlds Observatory: Science Drivers, Material Platforms, Arrayed-Waveguide Spectrographs, and a Space-Qualification Roadmap
[astro-ph.IM] NASA’s Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will require ultraviolet, optical, and near-infrared instruments that are simultaneously compact, mechanically and thermally stable, high-throughput, and replicable at large channel counts.