LUVOIR Archives - Astrobiology

A possible architecture for HWO under study by the HWO Technology Maturation Project Office. This design has an 8-meter inscribed diameter filled by 37 hexagonal segments — larger than JWST. Unlike JWST, this telescope is an off-axis format with a secondary mirror on a single strut structure at top and a multilayer deployable barrel for micrometeorite protection and thermal stability. -- STSCI

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

The Next Big Thing: The Habitable Worlds Observatory and Inaugural HWO25 Conference

by Keith CowingOctober 13, 2025October 13, 2025

The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is NASA’s next flagship observatory for the 2030s, following its top rank for large space projects in the Astro2020 decadal survey. With transformative ultraviolet, optical, […]

Distance vs. Stellar Mass for over 15,000 known galaxies out to 50 Mpc (Ohlson et al. 2024). Galaxies are colorcoded by their Hubble “T” Type, with early type galaxies T < 0 and late-type galaxies T > 0. The three stellar luminosity depth limits – RGB, sub-Red Clump, and sub-oMSTO – are shown as lines, corresponding to the distances where they are achievable for massive galaxies, and color-coded according to Fig. 1. The distances for these 3 depths achievable with HST and JWST are shown as dashed lines, while those achievable with HWO are shown as solid lines. The increase in galaxy diversity accessible from JWST→HWO is striking. The color bimodality of galaxies (e.g., Baldry et al. 2004) is visible within HWO’s reach, as is the Virgo Cluster which is notable as a vertical line of enhanced density. -- astro-ph.GA

Astronomy & Telescopes, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Stellar Cartography

Resolving Individual Stars in Nearby Large Galaxies with the Habitable Worlds Observatory

by Keith CowingJuly 5, 2025July 5, 2025

The varied and dynamic evolutionary histories of galaxies give rise to the stunning diversity in their properties that we observe in the present-day universe.

Progression of the simulations, combining the cloud-free simulations (left most panel), with the fully cloudy simulations (panel two), to yield the simulations using the cloud fraction map (panel three). The last panel shows the DSCOVR/EPIC observation that is being reproduced. Observations and synthetic images show very similar dynamic range, absolute flux calibration and coloring. No special or arbitrary scaling or calibrations were applied to the model, nor the data. -- astro-ph.EP

AI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Analog Studies, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

The Pale Blue Dot: Using the Planetary Spectrum Generator to Simulate Signals from Hyper Realistic Exo-Earths

by Keith CowingNovember 20, 2024November 20, 2024

The atmospheres and surfaces of planets show tremendous amount of spatial variation, which has a direct effect on the spectrum of the object, even if this may not be spatially […]

“Hyper-realistic” RGB images of Control at a phase of 40°, generated with PSG GlobES. Clockwise starting from the top left: (a) true color image, without BVLO. Proxima b appears orange because Proxima Centauri is a cool star which emits mostly red light in the visible. In this image, the darkest regions on the planet are oceans, and the lighter regions are ice or clouds. To identify clouds, compare with b. (b) the cloud cover fraction, with high numbers indicating grid cells mostly covered with clouds. (c) false color image of Control with BVLO. The BVLO appear purple because of Qy feature strongly absorbs in the green channel at 1um. (d) same as a, but with BVLO added (Amax = 1). The BVLO fill in the open water regions. To easily see regions of BVLO coverage, compare with purple regions in c. -- astro-ph.EP

Analog Studies, Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Proxima Centauri, Status Report

Detectability Simulations of a NIR Surface Biosignature on Proxima Centauri b with Future Space Observatories

by Keith CowingSeptember 11, 2024September 11, 2024

Telescope missions are currently being designed which will make direct imaging of habitable exoplanets possible in the near future, and studies are needed to quantify the detectability of biosignature features […]

Conceptual image of an exoplanet with an advanced extraterrestrial civilization. Structures on the right are orbiting solar panel arrays that harvest light from the parent star and convert it into electricity that is then beamed to the surface via microwaves. The exoplanet on the left illustrates other potential technosignatures: city lights (glowing circular structures) on the night side and multi-colored clouds on the day side that represent various forms of pollution, such as nitrogen dioxide gas from burning fossil fuels or chlorofluorocarbons used in refrigeration. NASA/Jay Freidlander

Astronomy & Telescopes, Intelligence & Language, Interstellar, Press Release, SETI & Technosignatures

Why We Might Not Spot Solar Panel Technosignatures On Other Worlds

by Keith CowingAugust 3, 2024August 3, 2024

One of NASA’s key priorities is understanding the potential for life elsewhere in the universe. NASA has not found any credible evidence of extraterrestrial life — but NASA is exploring […]

EPOXI imagery of Earth and the Moon Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/UMD/GSFC

Analog Studies, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Exomoons and Exorings with the Habitable Worlds Observatory I: On the Detection of Earth-Moon Analog Shadows and Eclipses

by Keith CowingMay 7, 2024May 7, 2024

The highest priority recommendation of the Astro2020 Decadal Survey for space-based astronomy was the construction of an observatory capable of characterizing habitable worlds.

A comparison of simulated transmission spectra for TRAPPIST-1 e modeled with a self-consistent, Earth-like atmosphere. When self-consistent ice and water clouds are included, no significant spectroscopic changes occur to the spectrum. We see small impacts due to clouds in the relatively transparent portion of the atmosphere between 8 – 13 µm, where the clouds reduce the minimum altitude probed from 10 to 12 km. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Retrieved Atmospheres and Inferred Surface Properties for Exoplanets Using Transmission and Reflected Light Spectroscopy

by Keith CowingApril 3, 2024April 3, 2024

Future astrophysics missions will seek extraterrestrial life via transmission and direct imaging observations.

ExEP Mission Star List for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (2023)

Astronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Reports, Roadmaps, & Plans, Status Report, Stellar Cartography, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography

NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) Mission Star List for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (2023)

by Keith CowingFebruary 21, 2024February 20, 2024

Full document The Astro 2020 Decadal Survey “Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s” has recommended that “after a successful mission and technology maturation program, NASA should […]

doppler

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Doppler Constraints on Planetary Companions to Nearby Sun-like Stars: An Archival Radial Velocity Survey of Southern Targets for Proposed NASA Direct Imaging Missions

by Keith CowingFebruary 22, 2023February 22, 2023

Directly imaging temperate rocky planets orbiting nearby, Sun-like stars with a 6-m-class IR/O/UV space telescope, recently dubbed the Habitable Worlds Observatory, is a high priority goal of the Astro2020 Decadal […]

effects

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Effect Of Multiple Scattering On The Transmission Spectra And The Polarization Phase Curves For Earth-like Exoplanets

by Keith CowingJanuary 23, 2023January 23, 2023

It is the most appropriate time to characterize the Earth-like exoplanets in order to detect biosignature beyond the Earth because such exoplanets will be the prime targets of big-budget missions […]