![Sky-coverage of the four surveys utilized in this study, with celestial coordinates displayed. It depicts three consecutive observation sectors of TESS, labeled as i−1, i, and i+1. Each of the four TESS cameras is represented by a different color. The beginning of each sector is marked in gray at an ecliptic latitude of 6 deg. The green area indicates the observing region of the fourth camera, which begins at an ecliptic latitude of 78 deg and encompasses the entire ecliptic pole. The magenta, yellow, and grey areas depict the typical 15-day observation coverage of LSST, Pan-STARRS, and ATLAS-W68, respectively. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1IOumuamua.png?resize=1200%2C717&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] Interstellar Objects (ISOs) may provide direct evidence of planetesimals ejected from early-stage solar systems. Studying these objects and predicting their detection through various surveys is vital for enhancing our […]
TESS
![Top-down, to-scale view of the TOI-789 architecture. The four planetary orbits are drawn around the M3 host (center); symbol size scales with planetary radius and symbol color with equilibrium temperature (color bar). The candidate .04 is drawn with a dashed outline. Shaded annular bands mark, from the inside out, the Venus zone (Kane et al. 2014), the temperate region defined by Teq = 273– 400 K, and the inner edge of the Kopparapu et al. (2014) habitable zone. The four planets form a sequence of decreasing insolation that crosses the Venus zone, with the candidate .04 near the inner edge of the habitable zone.-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Characterization.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Characterization of the Compact Multi-planet System TOI-789: Validation of Three Terrestrial Planets, Dynamical Characterization, and Detection of a Fourth Temperate Candidate
[astro-ph.EP] We present the validation and dynamical characterization of TOI-789 (TIC 300710077), a compact multi-planet system around an M3 dwarf at 43 pc.
![Sensitivity of the adopted contrast curves for the newly validated planets, separated by technique. Each pixel gives the fraction of curves sensitive to a companion of the given magnitude contrast (∆mag) at the given angular separation (∆arcsec), shading from white (all curves sensitive) to black (none sensitive). Speckle observations are confined to their ∼ 1.2 ′′ field of view, while the adaptive-optics curves extend to wider separations. Contrasts are in each observation’s native band and are not directly comparable across instruments (cf. Table 2).-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Assessing-the.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Assessing the Impact of High-Resolution Imaging on Statistical Validation of TESS Planet Candidates
[astro-ph.EP] High-resolution imaging is widely used to constrain false-positive scenarios in exoplanet validation, but it is a finite follow-up resource that reaches only a subset of candidates, and its population-level […]
Posted inTRAPPIST-1
Radial Velocity Detection Of The TRAPPIST-1 Planetary System With SPIRou And NIRPS
[astro-ph.EP]. The TRAPPIST-1 system is well-known for its seven transiting Earth-sized exoplanets. It has been extensively studied and characterized, notably with transit timing variations (TTVs) to precisely measure the mass […]
Posted inPLATO
Habitable-zone Earths At The Detection Frontier: Measured Completeness And False-alarm Rate Of A Transit Pipeline For The PLATO M-dwarf Sample
[astro-ph.EP] The PLATO mission will observe its first long-pointing field, LOPS2 (Long-duration Observation Phase, South field), for at least two years, bringing the habitable zones (HZ) of its M-dwarf sample […]
![Sky maps with locations of star clusters with exoplanets and candidate objects. The upper graph is centred on the Galactic centre, while the lower one is centred on the Galactic Anticenter.-- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Exoplanets-in.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Exoplanets In Star Clusters
[astro-ph.EP] The field of exoplanetary research is rapidly evolving, thanks to TESS and Kepler/K2. With the latest data release, Gaia DR3, Gaia has transformed the study of star clusters.
![An example RV fit with Alfred on the TOI-6054 system (M. A. Kroft et al. 2025), with Gaussian priors on the planets’ periods and conjunction times. This fit demonstrates Alfred’s ability to fit multiple planets and multiple datasets simultaneously, as well as handle eccentricity and user-defined priors. This plot is the default output from an RV fit with Alfred.-- [astro-ph.IM]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/Alfred.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics
Alfred: A Flexible, User-Friendly Python Package for Exoplanet Confirmation
[astro-ph.IM] In the era of TESS, exoplanet follow-up and confirmation have become a massive community effort.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Hidden Worlds: A Non-transiting Candidate Planet In The Neptunian Desert Around The Solar-type Pulsator KIC 9139163
[Astronomy & Astrophysics] Close-in substellar companions experience strong tidal and magnetic interactions with their host stars and are therefore subject to fast orbital evolution.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Astro-Hunters: Machine Learning For Exoplanet Transit Detection In TESS Photometry
[astro-ph.EP] Finding planets beyond the Solar System is now largely a data-analysis problem: photometric surveys return far more stellar light curves than can be inspected by eye, and machine learning […]
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather
A Search for Helium in the Atmospheres of Three Sub-Neptunes and a Super-Earth Around M-dwarfs
[astro-ph.EP] Thousands of sub-Neptunes have been discovered mainly through space-based surveys such as Kepler and TESS. Their bulk compositions and internal structures are thought to reflect their formation and evolutionary […]