On Friday, 22 May 2026, scientists from the National Center of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS will meet at the Kursaal in Bern to celebrate the achievements and successes of […]
planetology
Posted inAstrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Ice Giant, Nomenclature, Systematics, Natural History, Status Report
(Re)-Defining Planets — the Fundamental Plane of Planets
6000+ exoplanets are now detected using various techniques, with estimates of billions of planets existing in our Galaxy alone.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Gas Giants, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
An Informational-Entropic Approach to Exoplanet Characterization
In the past, measures of “Earth-likeness” of exoplanets have been qualitative, considered an abiotic Earth, or required discretionary choices of what parameters make a planet Earth-like.
Posted inAstrobiology (general), Conferences and Meetings, Courses, Education and Outreach, Status Report
RED25: An Astrobiology Introductory Course
RED is a Training School about the “Basics in Astrobiology”. Astrobiology addresses questions related to the origins of life, its evolution, and distribution in the Universe. This school aims to […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Earth-like Planets Hosting Systems: Architecture And Properties
The discovery of Earth-like planets is a major focus of current planetology research and faces a significant technological challenge. Indeed, when it comes to detecting planets as small and cold […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Status Report
Open-Ended Versus Bounded Evolution: Mineral Evolution As A Case Study
To what extent are natural evolving systems limited in their potential diversity (i.e., “bounded”) versus unrestricted (“open-ended”)? Minerals provide a quantitative model evolving system, with well documented increases in mineral […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
The Solar System: Structural Overview, Origins and Evolution
Understanding the origin and long-term evolution of the Solar System is a fundamental goal of planetary science and astrophysics.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release
The End Of Planet Formation
Scientists believe that planetary systems like our solar system contain more rocky objects than gas-rich ones. Around our sun, these include the inner planets – Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Magnetic Fields, Electromagnetism, bioelectricity,, Status Report
Magnetic Field Of Gas Giant Exoplanets And Its Influence On The Retention Of Their Exomoons
We study the magnetic and tidal interactions of a gas-giant exoplanet with its host star and with its exomoons, and focus on their retention. We briefly revisit the scaling law […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Status Report
The Diffusion Limit Of Photoevaporation In Primordial Planetary Atmospheres
Photoevaporation is thought to play an important role in the early planetary evolution. In this study, we investigate the diffusion limit of X-ray and ultraviolet induced photoevaporation in primordial atmospheres.