![Left: Sensitivity of TESS to transits in the full sample of single-star TOIs. Center: The sensitivity for all binary stars in our sample, with all planets presumed to transit the brighter star. Right: As with the top-center panel, except that all planets are assumed to transit the fainter star. The sensitivity of TESS to small planets around binary hosts is substantially lower than for single-star hosts, especially when the planet transits the secondary star.-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/The-sensitivity.png?resize=1200%2C722&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] High resolution imaging with optical speckle interferometry has revealed that many transiting exoplanet host stars possess close-in stellar companions.
stellar cartogaphy
![Life 2.0 mission concept and simulated biosignature spectroscopy. The distributed array observes a common target with many one-meter telescope modules. The example spectra illustrate UV-optical atmospheric signatures and the simulated recovery of O₃, O₂, and H₂O after calibrated spectral co-addition. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Life-2.0.jpg?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inBiosignatures & Paleobiology
Life 2.0: A Scalable Distributed Space-Telescope Array For Biosignature Spectroscopy
[astro-ph.IM] Answering the question “Are we alone?” requires atmospheric spectroscopy of nearby terrestrial planets. For an Earth–Sun analog, even the strongest transmission signals are expected to be of order 1 […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Brown Dwarfs, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
The Pan-Pacific Planet Search — IX. A Menagerie Of Companions Orbiting Evolved Stars
We present resolutions as to the nature of six speculative candidate companions proposed in the final data release of the Pan-Pacific Planet Search, a 6-year radial-velocity survey of 164 southern […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Stellar Cartography, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
Astronomers Find Missing Link To Our Galaxy’s Most Common Planets
One of the biggest recent surprises in astronomy is the discovery that most stars like the Sun harbor a planet between the size of Earth and Neptune within the orbit […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Precise Physical Parameters, Habitability, and Orbital Stability of Sun-like SB2 Systems: HD 130669, HD 184467, HD 191854, and HD 214222
This work analyzes four Sun-like double-lined spectroscopic binary (SB2) systems by combining visual and spectroscopic observational data with Al-Wardat’s atmospheric modeling method to accurately determine their fundamental parameters.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Space Weather & Heliophysics, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
Stellar Flares In The TESS Light Curves Of Planet-hosting M dwarfs
M dwarfs are magnetically active stars that frequently produce flares, which have implications for both stellar evolution and exoplanet studies.