Rayleigh scattering Archives - Astrobiology

Example stellar spectra of HAT-P-47 (T; solid line) and its reference star (R; dotted line), observed with LBT/MODS1B (blue), LBT/MODS1R (magenta), LBT/MODS2B (yellow), and GTC/OSIRIS+ (green). The vertical lines with gray-shaded regions indicate the adopted spectroscopic passbands. -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Optical Transmission Spectrum Of HAT-P-47b: Evidence For Aerosols And Tentative TiO Absorption

by Keith CowingJune 1, 2026June 1, 2026

Transmission spectroscopy enables the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres by probing absorption features in their terminator regions.

Schematic summary of the surface temperature response to increasing pN2 on the pCO2 –pN2 plane, comparing Goldblatt et al. (2009, G+09), Wordsworth & Pierrehumbert (2013, WP13), and this work. For Goldblatt et al. (2009), the pink shaded region denotes the parameter range they explored, within which all cases show warming as pN2 increases. For Wordsworth & Pierrehumbert (2013), circles mark the parameter sets shown in their Figure 14a, and the annotation at the top summarizes their reported response. Circle size and color qualitatively indicate the surface temperature, with larger circles and warmer colors corresponding to higher temperatures. In Wordsworth & Pierrehumbert (2013), the sign of the response is inferred from the two data points connected by arrows, which indicate the direction of increasing pN2 . Background shading shows the approximate regimes obtained in this work, namely cooling, warming, and neutral surface-temperature response to increasing pN2. -- astro-ph.EP

Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia - Planetary Perspectives, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Revisiting the Greenhouse Effect of Non-greenhouse Gases in the Atmospheres of Earth-like Planets

by Keith CowingMay 13, 2026May 13, 2026

Although non-greenhouse gases can vary substantially in abundance in Earth-like atmospheres, their climatic influences remain insufficiently understood.

Phase-dependent measurements of Earth’s broadband visual apparent albedo, including historic observations from Danjon (1928). Mission or observing technique is indicated by datapoint color and shape. Uncertainties are indicated, which are sometimes smaller than the point size. -- astro-ph.EP

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

Inferring And Interpreting The Visual Geometric Albedo and Phase Function of Earth

by Keith CowingAugust 2, 2025August 2, 2025

Understanding reflectance-related quantities for worlds enables effective comparative planetology and strengthens mission planning and execution.