A couple examples of molecules carrying chemical energy – carbon dioxide and methane – are included in the illustration.
Habitable Zone
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report
Exoplanets Beyond The Conservative Habitable Zone: II. Occurrence
We demonstrate that the extension of the Habitable Zone (HZ) due to the presence of liquid water on the night side of tidally locked planets, modelled in this and earlier […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Missions & Hardware, Status Report
Advancing the Concept Maturity Level of the Servicing Architecture for Habitable Worlds Observer
This paper advances the concept maturity level (CML) of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) servicing architecture.
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Habitable Zones, Origin & Evolution of Life, SETI & Technosignatures, Status Report
Solar Hegemony: M-Dwarfs Are Unlikely to Host Observers Such as Ourselves
With no firm evidence for life beyond our solar system, inferences about the population observers such as ourselves rests upon the Earth as a single input, at least for now.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Exoplanets Beyond The Conservative Habitable Zone: I. Habitability
The Habitable Zone (HZ) is defined by the possibility of sustaining liquid water on a planetary surface.
Posted inAnalog Studies, Arctic / Antarctic / Alpine, Away Teams & Field Reports, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Cryobiology, Exploration Gear & Tech, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Mars, Microbiology & Virology, Origin & Evolution of Life, Polar / Alpine Expeditions, Press Release, Sample Return
Multi-technique Characterization Of Iron Reduction By An Antarctic Shewanella: An Analog System For Putative Martian Biosignature Identification
Microbes from terrestrial extreme environments enable testing of biosignature production in conditions relevant to astrobiological targets.
Posted inBiochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Extremeophiles and Extreme Environments, Habitable Zones, Status Report
Exomorphic Catalysis: A Discipline Dedicated to Energetic Disequilibria and the Activation of Life-Potential in Non-Terrestrial Environments
The search for life beyond Earth has long been guided by two dominant paradigms: astrobiology, which seeks environments capable of supporting life as we know it, and planetary engineering, which […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Enceladus, Habitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Missions & Hardware, Press Release, Saturn, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Cassini Proves The Existence Of Complex Chemistry Within Enceladus’ Ocean
Scientists digging through data collected by the Cassini spacecraft have found new complex organic molecules spewing from Saturn’s moon Enceladus. This is a clear sign that complex chemical reactions are […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
General Relativity Can Prevent a Runaway Greenhouse on Potentially Habitable Planets Orbiting White Dwarfs
Planets orbiting in the habitable zones of white dwarfs have recently been proposed as promising targets for biosignature searches.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Status Report
Debris Disks And Their Properties With The Habitable Worlds Observatory
The study of the last stages of planet formation, also known as debris disks, is fundamental to place constrains on the formation of planetary sized bodies.