Ethylene glycol ((CH2OH)2, hereafter EG) and Glycolonitrile (HOCH2CN, hereafter GN) are considered molecular precursors of nucleic acids.
Will future direct imaging missions such as NASA’s upcoming Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) be able to understand Earth-sized planets as a population?
One of the primary mission goals of the Kepler space telescope is to detect Earth-like terrestrial planets in the habitable zone around Sun-like stars.
The TRAPPIST-1 system offers one of the best opportunities to characterize temperate terrestrial planets beyond our own solar system. Within the TRAPPIST-1 system, planet e stands out as highly likely […]
TRAPPIST-1 e is one of the very few rocky exoplanets that is both amenable to atmospheric characterization and that resides in the habitable zone of its star — located at […]
The habitable zone is defined as the orbital region around a star where planetary feedback cycles buffer atmospheric greenhouse gases that, in combination with solar luminosity, maintain surface temperatures suitable […]
We explore the hydrogeologic and physical conditions necessary to sustain hydrothermal activity within the shallow subseafloors of ocean worlds, exploring wide ranges of multiple parameters using a Monte Carlo framework.
![Range of best-fit phase curve and eclipse models for TRAPPIST-1 b and c. The detrended data are shown with gray dots and binned data with black dots. Red curves show the light curve model for each JWST program that observed TRAPPIST-1 b and c at 15µm using MIRI F1500W; the shading spans the range of models drawn from the posterior distribution of the day flux, night flux and phase offset for planets b and c from Analysis # 1 at 2-σ. The top panel shows the phase curve from GO 3077; the second row displays the five visits from GO 1177 (PI: Greene); and the third row presents the four visits from GO 2304 (PI: Kreidberg), along with a zoom-in on the double occultation observed in GO 3077. The expected transit and eclipse timings for each planet from [19] are shown in vertical dashed and plain lines respectively (purple for b, orange for c, and green for g). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/First-JWST-Thermal-Phase-Curves.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
We report JWST/MIRI 15 μm phase curves of TRAPPIST-1 b and c, revealing thermal emission consistent with their irradiation levels, assuming no efficient heat redistribution.
To the NASA Keck Observer Community: Due to several issues, including the six-week closure of the Keck II telescope and instrument calibration problems with the Keck Planet Finder, it has […]
The search for habitable conditions beyond Earth is a top priority in astrophysics.
