Our understanding of the processes that are relevant to the formation and maintenance of habitable planetary systems is advancing at a rapid pace, both from observation and theory. The present […]
Habitable Zone
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Super-Habitable Worlds
Earth is the only known example of an inhabited planet in the universe, so the search for alien life has focused on Earth-like worlds. But what if there are alien […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Dynamical Study on Habitability of Terrestrial Exoplanets: Super Earth HD 40307g
HARPS and it Kepler results indicate that half of solar-type stars host planets with periods P
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Effect of Planets Beyond the Ice Line on the Accretion of Volatiles by Habitable-Zone Rocky Planets
Models of planet formation have shown that giant planets have a large impact on the number, masses and orbits of terrestrial planets that form. In addition, they play an important […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Search For Earth-mass Planets In The Habitable Zone Of Alpha Centauri
The “holy grail” in planet hunting is the detection of an Earth-analog: a planet with similar mass as the Earth and an orbit inside the habitable zone. If we can […]
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
A Low-order Model of Water Vapor, Clouds, and Thermal Emission for Tidally Locked Terrestrial Planets
We developed an idealized two-column model to investigate the climate of tidally locked terrestrial planets with Earth-like atmospheres in the habitable zone of M-dwarf stars. The model is able to […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Abiotic oxygen-dominated atmospheres on terrestrial habitable zone planets
Detection of life on other planets requires identification of biosignatures, i.e., observable planetary properties that robustly indicate the presence of a biosphere. One of the most widely accepted biosignatures for […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Possibilities of Life Around Alpha Centauri B
We make a preliminary assessment on the habitability of potential rocky exoplanets around Alpha Centauri B. We use several indexes: the Earth Similarity Index, a mathematical model for photosynthesis, and […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
Calculating the Habitable Zone of Multiple Star Systems
We have developed a comprehensive methodology and an interactive website for calculating the habitable zone (HZ) of multiple star systems. Using the concept of spectral weight factor, as introduced in […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Remote Life Detection Criteria, Habitable Zone Boundaries, and the Frequency of Earthlike Planets around M and Late-K Stars
The habitable zone (HZ) around a star is typically defined as the region where a rocky planet can maintain liquid water on its surface. That definition is appropriate, because this […]