We observed the 2019 January total lunar eclipse with the Hubble Space Telescope’s STIS spectrograph to obtain the first near-UV (1700-3200 Å) observation of Earth as a transiting exoplanet. The […]
Hubble
Posted inAlpha Centauri, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Brown Dwarfs, Epsilon Eridani, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Proxima Centauri, tau Ceti, TRAPPIST-1
Goldilocks Stars Are Best Places to Look for Life
In the search for life beyond Earth, astronomers look for planets in a star’s “habitable zone” — sometimes nicknamed the “Goldilocks zone” — where temperatures are just right for liquid […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
Hubble Search for Transit of the Earth-mass Exoplanet Alpha Centauri Bb
Results from exoplanet surveys indicate that small planets (super-Earth size and below) are abundant in our Galaxy. However, little is known about their interiors and atmospheres. There is therefore a […]
Posted inHabitable Zones, Icy Worlds, Press Release
NASA To Discuss Hubble Observations of Ganymede
NASA will host a teleconference at 11 a.m. EDT on Thursday, March 12, to discuss Hubble Space Telescope’s observations of Ganymede, Jupiter’s largest moon. These results will help scientists in […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Hubble Search for a Sub-Earth-Sized Exoplanet in the GJ 436 System
The detection of small planets orbiting nearby stars is an important step towards the identification of Earth twins. In previous work using the Spitzer Space Telescope, we found evidence to […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Hubble High Resolution Imaging of Kepler Small and Cool Exoplanet Host Stars
High resolution imaging is an important tool for follow-up study of exoplanet candidates found via transit detection with the Kepler Mission. We discuss here HST imaging with the WFC3 of […]
Posted inIcy Worlds
The Importance of Plumes
The Hubble Space Telescope is famous for finding black holes. It can pick out thousands of galaxies in a patch of sky the size of a thumbprint. The most powerful […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Microlensing Events by Proxima Centauri in 2014 and 2016: Opportunities for Mass Determination and Possible Planet Detection
We have found that Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our Sun, will pass close to a pair of faint background stars in the next few years. Using Hubble Space […]
Posted inIcy Worlds, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Transient Water Vapor at Europa's South Pole
In November and December 2012 the Hubble Space Telescope maged Europa’s ultraviolet emissions in the search for vapor plume activity. We report statistically significant coincident surpluses of hydrogen Lyman-α and […]
Posted inIcy Worlds
Hubble Sees Evidence of Water Vapor Venting off Europa
Hubble has observed water vapor above the frigid south polar region of Jupiter’s moon Europa, providing the first strong evidence of water plumes erupting off the moon’s surface. Previous scientific […]