In the next years, several space missions will search for evidence of life on exoplanets, focusing on robust biosignatures associated with oxygenic photosynthesis, including atmospheric oxygen accumulation and the Vegetation […]
M-dwarf
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
The POKEMON Speckle Survey of Nearby M dwarfs. IV. Distance-Limited Catalog (POKEMON-DLC)
The Solar Neighborhood is dominated by stars smaller, colder, and fainter than the Sun: the M dwarfs.
![WASP-39b transmission spectra and cloud scenarios. Spectra are observed with JWST (orange), HST (magenta), and VLT (green) in comparison to models with different Fe content: full IWF Graz cloud model (black line), Fe[s] replaced (dark gray), FeS[s] replaced (middle gray), and all Fe-binding materials replaced (light gray). The Fe-free mixed-material cloud compositions provide a good fit in the near-IR but not in the optical. — astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Exoplanet-climate.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Status Report
Exoplanet Climate Characterization With Transit Asymmetries
Context. Space missions such as CHEOPS, JWST, and PLATO facilitate detailed characterization of exoplanets, particularly close-in gas giants and their wide range of global temperatures and climate regimes.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Inversion of Hydrogen-rich Atmosphere and Water Content for GJ 486b
GJ-486b is a close-in planet orbiting an M dwarf and is therefore expected to have undergone strong atmospheric escape. Motivated by theoretical and observational studies on the constraints of its […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The CARMENES Search For Exoplanets Around M Dwarfs. A Homogeneous Catalogue Of Projected Rotational Velocities Accounting For Limb-darkening
Stellar rotation is closely linked to both age and magnetic activity. Through gyrochronology, it provides a means to estimate stellar ages and trace the evolution of planetary systems, and it […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
A Search For Wide-orbit Planets Around M-dwarfs Using Deep MIRI 15-micron Images
Wide-orbit (>10 AU) gas giant planets shape the architecture of planetary systems, yet their occurrence rate remains poorly constrained.
![[L] The detrended and phase-folded RV time series of GJ 1132 b (top) and GJ 1132 c (bottom). Different draws of the Keplerian models from our posterior are superimposed in black. The different colored markers correspond to different RV time series. Binned data points are shown as red squares. [R] Phase-folded and detrended RV time series of LTT 3780 b (top) and LTT 3780 c (bottom). The best-fit Keplerian model is superimposed in black. The different colors and markers correspond to different RV time series. Binned data points are shown as red squares. -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Super-Earth-masses.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Super-Earth Masses And Stellar Abundances From NIRPS Reveal Tentative Evidence For Water-rich Formation Around M Dwarfs
Tracing the compositional link between terrestrial super-Earths and their host stars provides clues to their dominant formation pathway. By constraining the stellar abundances of refractory elements, we can predict the […]
Posted inAnalog Studies, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
The JWST Search For Earth-Luna Analogs: Upper Limits On Exomoons And Refined Ephemerides For TOI 700 d And e
While no conclusive detections of exomoons have been reported to date, planet formation theories predict that satellites should be a common outcome of the collisional dynamics in early extrasolar systems.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Status Report
POSEIDON II: The Anti-Aligned Orbit of the Warm Neptune TOI-1710 A b
We present an observation of the Rossiter-McLaughlin effect for the warm-Neptune system TOI-1710 obtained with the NEID spectrograph on the WIYN 3.5 m telescope.
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Status Report
Upper Atmosphere Dynamics and Drivers of Volatiles Loss from Terrestrial-Type (Exo)Planets
Volatile loss from exoplanetary atmospheres and its possible implications for the longevity of habitable surface conditions is a topic of vigorous debate currently.