The earliest atmospheres of rocky planets originate from extensive volatile release during magma ocean epochs that occur during assembly of the planet. These establish the initial distribution of the major […]
Habitable Zone
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Neptune
Methane As A Dominant Absorber In The Habitable-zone Sub-Neptune K2-18 b
In their Letter, Tsiaras et al.1 reported the detection of water vapour in the atmosphere of K2-18 b, an exoplanet of 7 to 10 Earth masses located in the habitable […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
Hubble WFC3 Spectroscopy of the Habitable-zone Super-Earth LHS 1140 b
Atmospheric characterisation of temperate, rocky planets is the holy grail of exoplanet studies. These worlds are at the limits of our capabilities with current instrumentation in transmission spectroscopy and challenge […]
Posted inBarnard's Star, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Assessing The Habitability of Planets Around Old Red Dwarfs
Planets orbiting close to the most abundant and longest-lasting stars in our Milky Way may be less hospitable to life than previously thought.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
The Occurrence of Rocky Habitable Zone Planets Around Solar-Like Stars from Kepler Data
We present occurrence rates for rocky planets in the habitable zones (HZ) of main-sequence dwarf stars based on the Kepler DR25 planet candidate catalog and Gaia-based stellar properties.
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
The Equatorial Jet Speed on Tidally Locked Planets: Terrestrial Planets
The atmospheric circulation of tidally locked planets is dominated by a superrotating eastward equatorial jet. We develop a predictive theory for the formation of this jet, proposing a mechanism in […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Potential For Liquid Water Biochemistry Deep Under The Surfaces Of The Moon, Mars And Beyond
We investigate the prospects for the past or current existence of habitable conditions deep underneath the surfaces of the Moon and Mars as well as generic bound and free-floating extrasolar […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Neptune, Press Release
The Habitable-zone Planet Finder Reveals A High Mass and a Low Obliquity for the Young Neptune K2-25b
Using radial-velocity data from the Habitable-zone Planet Finder, we have measured the mass of the Neptune-sized planet K2-25b, as well as the obliquity of its M4.5-dwarf host star in the […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Paired With Super Telescopes, Model Earths Guide Hunt For Life
Cornell University astronomers have created five models representing key points from our planet’s evolution, like chemical snapshots through Earth’s own geologic epochs. The models will be spectral templates for astronomers […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Habitability Of Polar Regions In Tidally Locked Extrasolar Planet Near M-Dwarf Stars
Since the launch of Kepler and Hubble more than a decade ago, we have come a long way in the quest to find a potentially habitable exoplanet. To date, we […]