[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 […]
Habitable Worlds Observatory
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.
![Illustration of the astro-calibration method. The four reference frames are represented. The three models (s, a, and c) that link them and constitute the parameter vector x are also represented. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Calibrations.png?resize=1200%2C714&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Calibrations For High Precision Differential Astrometry Onboard Theia And HWO
[astro-ph.IM] Future space astrometry missions such as Theia and an astrometric mode of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) require detector calibration and instrumental characterization at an unprecedented level to achieve […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
NASA SMD ROSES-25 Amendment 68: New Opportunity: D.8 Habitable Worlds Observatory Precursor Science Investigations [UPDATE 2]
[NASA]. The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is a large-aperture ultraviolet/visible/near-infrared observatory concept recommended by the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine decadal survey, “Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and […]
Posted inVenus
The Venus Benchmark: Resolving Degeneracies in Terrestrial Exoplanet Spectra with DAVINCI
[astro-ph.EP]. The characterization of terrestrial exoplanets with thick, CO2-dominated atmospheres via transmission and emission spectroscopy is limited by degeneracies between atmospheric composition, cloud structure, and surface conditions.
Posted inApps - Games
pyEDITH: The Coronagraphic Exposure Time Calculator For The Habitable Worlds Observatory
[astro-ph.IM] To support the development of next-generation missions for the search and characterization of habitable planets, high-fidelity tools for astrophysical and instrumental noise simulations are needed.
![Bifurcated best-fit solutions. The noisy generated data is shown with gray error bars. The true spectrum of Earth is in black, while the Earth-like solution and thick- -atmosphere solution are shown in blue and orange, respectively. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Impacts.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Impacts Of Correlated Noise On Retrievals Of Exo-Earth Atmospheres
[astro-ph.EP] The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) aims to accomplish high-contrast imaging and spectroscopy of true Earth analogs for the first time. However, high-contrast spectroscopy with HWO may be limited by […]