[NASA] Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) Instrument Concept Assessments (HWO-ICA) program element D.9 of ROSES-25, solicits proposals to support maturation of the HWO mission concept. The objective of HWO-ICA is to […]
telescope
![Mapping of the science cases proposed by the Science Working Groups (center) to the questions and discovery areas identified by Astro2020 (left and right). The transparencies of the lines indicate the number of connections with darker lines indicating stronger links between the SWG and the Astro2020 topic. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Early-Exploration.png?resize=1200%2C711&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Early Exploration Of The Scientific Discovery Space For The Habitable Worlds Observatory
[astro-ph.IM] The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is a future NASA flagship mission concept identified by the Astro2020 Decadal Survey as the highest priority for large space missions. HWO should conduct […]
![Representative spectral energy distribution fits for four HWO ExEP target stars: HD 2151 (upper left), HD 3651 A (upper right), HD 4813 (lower left), and HD 10700 (lower right). In each panel, the solid curve represents the best-fitting Pickles (1998) template spectrum, and the filled circles show the broadband photometry with associated uncertainties. Photometric error bars are shown in the y-direction, and filter widths in the x-direction. Fractional residuals between the template flux averaged over each bandpass and the literature photometry are shown in the lower sub-panels. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Spectral-Energy.png?resize=1200%2C716&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Spectral Energy Distribution Analysis For Habitable Worlds Observatory Target Stars
[astro-ph.EP] The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) will directly image and characterize planets potentially similar to Earth orbiting nearby stars.
![(a) The HWK4123 sensor has a standard ceramic land grid array (CGLA) package and measures 31.1 × 36.6 mm. The imaging pixel array is in the center of the sensor. (b) The PHOTRON system is shown outside the dewar. The HWK4123 mounts behind the black enclosure in the top-left corner. (c) The QUEST camera attaches to the output of an integrating sphere, and the sphere receives light from a monochromator. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Single-Photon.png?resize=1200%2C704&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Single-Photon Counting CMOS Detectors For The Habitable Worlds Observatory
[astro-ph.IM] The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is NASA’s current New Great Observatory concept. HWO will observe the universe to search for life beyond Earth. It will need unprecedented instrument stability […]
![Top: Hexagonal segmented primary mirror designs with no central obscuration with different number of rings and varying segment sizes (flat-to-flat (m) 1-Hex: 2.64, 2-Hex: 1.45, 3-Hex: 1.19, 4-Hex: 0.85, 5-Hex: 0.66), all designs have an inscribed diameter of ∼6 m. Middle: Binary apodizer masks optimized for their respective aperture design. Bottom: Respective coronagraphic PSFs with an annular dark hole ranging from 3.4λ/D - 12λ/D, and a spatial average contrast floor of ∼4 × 10−11 inside the dark hole. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Segmentlevel.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
Segment-level Thermal Sensitivity Analysis For Exo-Earth Coronagraphy With Segmented Space Telescopes
[astro-ph.IM] Direct imaging and characterization of Earth-like planets require ultra-stable wavefronts to achieve a starlight suppression level of 100 parts per trillion (ppt) in the coronagraphic dark region of the […]
![Simulated HARMONI images of the Galilean satellites (Io, Europa, Ganymede, Callisto) compared to current VLT imaging (50 mas), illustrating the gain in spatial resolution (12 mas) enabled by the ELT for surface characterisation of Solar System bodies. Credit : Olivier Groussin for the Solar System Science group. -- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/HARMONI.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes
HARMONI@ELT: Instrument Design, Performance, And Science Capabilities
[astro-ph.IM] HARMONI is the integral field spectrograph for the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT). Designed as the primary workhorse near-infrared spectrograph of the ELT, it will deliver spatially resolved spectroscopy at […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy
Achieving Efficient Broadband Spatial Filtering For LIFE: Status And Plan
[astro-ph.IM] Nulling interferometry is one of the most promising techniques that is envisioned for the imaging and characterization of exoplanets in the mid-infrared for ground-based and space-based observatories. On the […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Nautilus Space Observatory: Unveiling the Diversity and Origin of Sub-Neptunes
[astro-ph.IM] Sub-Neptunes are the most common class of planets in the Galaxy, yet they have no Solar System analog and remain poorly understood as a population. JWST observations have revealed […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics
The Role Of Artificial Intelligence In The SKA Era
[astro-ph.IM] The Square Kilometre Array Observatory (SKAO) will usher in an era of unprecedented data complexity and scientific opportunity in radio astronomy, producing petabyte-scale datasets and terabit-per-second streams that challenge […]
Posted inAstrochemistry
Astrochemical Study of Early Embedded Discs
[astro-ph.SR] The question of how our planet was formed and, more generally, how a planetary system forms is fundamental and has been addressed in a broad range of research domains. […]