We use the existence of habitable planets to impose anthropic requirements on the fine structure constant, α. To this effect, we present two considerations that restrict its value to be […]
habitable
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Impact of Stellar Rotation on Detectability of Habitable Planets Around M Dwarfs
Stellar activity and rotation frustrate the detection of exoplanets through the radial velocity technique. This effect is particularly of concern for M dwarfs, which can remain magnetically active for billions […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Reflected Light From Giant Planets in Habitable Zones
The direct detection of reflected light from exoplanets is an excellent probe for the characterization of their atmospheres. The greatest challenge for this task is the low planet-to-star flux ratio, […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Evolution of Stellar Rotation and Hydrogen Atmospheres of Habitable-zone Terrestrial Planets
Terrestrial planets formed within gaseous protoplanetary disks can accumulate significant hydrogen envelopes. The evolution of such an atmosphere due to XUV driven evaporation depends on the activity evolution of the […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Habitability of Terrestrial-Mass Planets in the HZ of M Dwarfs: H/He-Dominated Atmospheres
The ubiquity of M dwarfs, combined with the relative ease of detecting terrestrial-mass planets around them, has made them prime targets for finding and characterising planets in the “Habitable Zone” […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Nearby Star Hosts Planet in its Habitable Zone
The planet, more than four times the mass of the Earth, is one of three that the team detected around a red dwarf star called Wolf 1061. “It is a […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Exploring the Inner Edge of the Habitable Zone with Fully Coupled Oceans
Rotation in planetary atmospheres plays an important role in regulating atmospheric and oceanic heat flow, cloud formation and precipitation. Using the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS) three dimension General […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Stellar Atmospheres Can be Used to Predict Composition of Rocky Exoplanets
In two recently published articles researchers from Instituto de Astrofsica e Cincias do Espao (IA3) show that the ratio of some heavy elements in a star, like Magnesium (Mg), Silicon […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Titania May Produce Abiotic Oxygen Atmospheres on Habitable Exoplanets
The search for habitable exoplanets in the Universe is actively ongoing in the field of astronomy. The biggest future milestone is to determine whether life exists on such habitable exoplanets. […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release
Origin and Stability of Exomoon Atmospheres: Implications for Habitability
We study the origin and escape of catastrophically outgassed volatiles (H2O, CO2) from exomoons with Earth-like densities and masses of 0.1M⊕, 0.5M⊕ and 1M⊕ orbiting an extra-solar gas giant inside […]