Understanding the evolution of Earth and potentially habitable Earth-like worlds is essential to fathom our origin in the Universe. The search for Earth-like planets in the habitable zone and investigation […]
Habitable Zone
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Press Release
Could A Multiverse Be Hospitable To Life?
A Multiverse – where our Universe is only one of many – might not be as inhospitable to life as previously thought, according to new research.
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
A Methane Extension to the Classical Habitable Zone
The habitable zone (HZ) is the circumstellar region where standing bodies of liquid water could exist on the surface of a rocky planet. Conventional definitions assume that CO2 and H2O […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
The Ice Cap Zone: A Unique Habitable Zone for Ocean Worlds
Traditional definitions of the habitable zone assume that habitable planets contain a carbonate-silicate cycle that regulates CO2 between the atmosphere, surface, and the interior. Such theories have been used to […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Earth: Atmospheric Evolution of a Habitable Planet
Our present-day atmosphere is often used as an analog for potentially habitable exoplanets, but Earth’s atmosphere has changed dramatically throughout its 4.5 billion year history. For example, molecular oxygen is […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
The Habitable Zone of Kepler-16: Impact of Binarity and Climate Models
We continue to investigate the binary system Kepler-16, consisting of a K-type main-sequence star, a red dwarf, and a circumbinary Saturnian planet. As part of our study, we describe the […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Different is More: The Value of Finding an Inhabited Planet that is Far From Earth 2.0
The search for an inhabited planet, other than our own, is a driver of planetary exploration in our solar system and beyond. Using information from our own planet to inform […]
Posted inHabitable Zones
Is Life Most Likely Around Sun-like Stars?
We consider the habitability of Earth-analogs around stars of different masses, which is regulated by the stellar lifetime, stellar wind-induced atmospheric erosion, and biologically active ultraviolet (UV) irradiance. By estimating […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Repercussions of Thermal Atmospheric Tides on the Rotation of Terrestrial Planets in the Habitable Zone
Semidiurnal atmospheric thermal tides are important for terrestrial exoplanets in the habitable zone of their host stars. With solid tides, they torque these planets, thus contributing to determine their rotation […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Press Release
Planetary Formation and Water Delivery in the Habitable Zone Around Solar-type Stars in Different Dynamical Environments
Aims. We study the formation and water delivery of planets in the habitable zone (HZ) around solar-type stars. In particular, we study different dynamical environments that are defined by the […]