Super-Earths and sub-Neptunes represent the most common class of exoplanets discovered to date in our galaxy, yet they have no direct analogues in the Solar System. Since 2014, researchers within […]
NIRPS
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Recent Development In High-precision High-fidelity Spectrographs For Exoplanet Research And Characterization
High-precision high-fidelity spectrographs are the most powerful instruments for exoplanets detection and characterization. The sub-m/s radial-velocity precision, required to detect Earth-mass exoplanets, necessitates tackling all the sources of instrumental and […]
![[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 inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
TOI-1080 b: A Temperate, Rocky Planet Orbiting A Quiet M4V Host
We present the detection and validation of a small, temperate transiting exoplanet orbiting TOI-1080 every 3.9652482+0.0000014−0.0000015 days. The host is a quiet M4V star at 25.6 pc.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Densities Of Small Planets Around The M dwarfs TOI-4336 A And TOI-4342 With ESPRESSO: Three Sub-Neptunes, One Super-Earth, And A Neptune-mass Candidate
We present the characterization of two planetary systems orbiting the M dwarfs TOI-4336 A (M3.5V) and TOI-4342 (M0V), each hosting two transiting planets previously validated with TESS and ground-based observations.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Quantifying Thermal Water Dissociation In The Dayside Photosphere Of WASP-121 b Using NIRPS
The intense stellar irradiation of ultra-hot Jupiters results in some of the most extreme atmospheric environments in the planetary regime.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Proxima Centauri
The IAC Leads The First Scientific Results Of NIRPS, The New Infrared Exoplanet Hunter
The new infrared spectrograph NIRPS, built with the participation of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias (IAC) and installed on the 3.6-metre telescope at ESO’s La Silla Observatory in Chile, […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Proxima Centauri, Status Report
Near-InfraRed Planet Searcher (NIRPS) Joining HARPS At ESO 3.6 m. On-sky Performance And Science Objectives
The Near-InfraRed Planet Searcher (NIRPS) is a high-resolution, high-stability near-infrared (NIR) spectrograph equipped with an AO system.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report
Studying The Variability Of The He Triplet To Understand The Detection Limits Of Evaporating Exoplanet Atmospheres
With more than a dozen significant detections, the helium triplet has emerged as a key tracer of evaporating exoplanet atmospheres.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Proxima Centauri, Status Report
Studying The Planetary System Of Proxima Centauri With NIRPS
We obtained 420 high-resolution spectra of Proxima, over 159 nights, using the Near Infra Red Planet Searcher (NIRPS).