![Pollux optical layout. The exact sequence in the optical path of the retractable polarimeters and fiber link connections of the OPT and NIR is still to be discussed and what shown here is not representative of the final configuration. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Pollux.png?resize=1200%2C715&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.IM] Pollux is a high-resolution spectrograph and spectropolarimeter (R from 65000 to 100000) covering a spectral range from 100 nm to 1750 nm, proposed by a European consortium to equip […]
Habitable Worlds Observatory
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Detecting Habitable Exoplanet Atmospheres With LIFE, The Large Interferometer For Exoplanets
[astro-ph.IM] A key goal of astronomers with the next generation telescopes is to detect signs of life in exoplanet atmospheres. NASA’s next flagship is the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO).
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Welcoming The Virtual Planetary Laboratory To Its New Home At The SETI Institute
[SETI Institute] The Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL), one of NASA’s flagship astrobiology research teams, has officially moved its institutional home to the SETI Institute. In 2026 the VPL will also […]
Posted inUncategorized
UKs Key Habitable Worlds Observatory Instrument In NASA’s Hunt For Earth-like Worlds
[Royal Astronomical Society] UK astronomers are a step closer to playing a leading role in NASA’s search for alien life in the coming decades, after receiving £3million to continue developing […]
![(Left) The aperture assumed in these simulations. Furthermore, the stellar radius is assumed to be 0.03 λ/D, and the planet is assumed to be at 1 λ/D in the positive X direction. Middle) The single-moded measurement shown in the pupil plane (top) and focal plane (bottom) obtained by using the highest information mode from the calculation of the SLD, denoted here as SLD Mode 0. Right) The single-moded measurement shown in the pupil and focal planes as calculated using a classical numerical optimization. Pupil plane extents are from -0.5 to 0.5 (with an aperture diameter normalized to 1), while focal plane extents are from -5 λ/D to 5λ/D. Both of these methods are described in Ref. 13, and achieve ηs ≈ 1 × 10−9 , with ηp at 1 λ/D of approximately 19%, and a maximum ηp of 73% at 1.8 λ/D. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Optimal-mode-sorting.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Optimal Mode-sorting Coronagraphy: Limits Of Single-moded Measurements For The Habitable Worlds Observatory
[astro-ph.IM] Conventional coronagraph architectures struggle to reach the theoretical limit of exoplanet detection at close working angles. Spatial mode-sorting is capable of reaching the theoretical limit, which previous work has […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
The Exozodi Spectral Effect: Residual Habitable Zone Dust May Bias ExoEarth Characterization
[astro-ph.EP] All exoplanetary systems are expected to host exozodiacal dust, or exozodi, originating from planetesimals. For many stars, exozodi will likely be the largest source of astrophysical noise in direct […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
The Habitable Worlds Observatory Technology Development Plan
[astro-ph.IM] The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is NASA’s next large space telescope, selected by the 2020 Decadal Survey in Astronomy and Astrophysics to search for and characterize habitable exoplanets while […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Nearby “Super Earth” May Be A Better Candidate For Life Than Previously Thought
[UT Austin] Using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at McDonald Observatory, astronomers have taken a closer look at a nearby exoplanet and discovered it may be more Earth-like than previously thought. The […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
A New Earth-like Exoplanet Discovered
[UC Irvine] A team led by astronomers at the University of California, Irvine reports the discovery of a new Earth-like exoplanet orbiting a star about 25 light-years from our solar […]
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.