![The Target Pixel File (TPF) of HS 0209+0832 from the TESS observations in Sector 71. The SPOC pipeline aperture is overplotted with shaded red squares. The position of HS 0209+0832 is demarcated by the number “1” and a white cross. All nearby sources within ∆m = 4 are displayed as red circles, with their size proportional to their brightness relative to HS 0209+0832. Each source is labelled by the rank of their projected distances from HS 0209+0832. The white arrows denote the orientation of the spacecraft during the observations. This figure was created with tpfplotter121 -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/10/Discovery-of-a.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] Many white dwarfs accrete the debris of disrupted planetary bodies, detected in the form of metal-enrichment in their atmospheres, dusty or gaseous circumstellar discs, and photometric transits from debris.
helium
Posted inHabitable Zones
The Viability of Life in Helium-Dominated Exoplanet Atmospheres
[astro-ph.EP] Helium is the second most abundant element in the Universe, yet helium-dominated atmospheres are rarely considered as environments for life.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
Understanding What Helium Absorption Tells Us About Atmospheric Escape From Exoplanets
Atmospheric escape is now considered the major contributing factor in shaping the demographic of detected exoplanets.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Neptune, Status Report, Uranus
Uranus And Neptune As Methane Planets: Producing Icy Giants From Refractory Planetesimals
Uranus and Neptune are commonly considered ice giants, and it is often assumed that, in addition to a solar mix of hydrogen and helium, they contain roughly twice as much […]