![Vertical profiles of temperature and volume mixing ratios for the species included in our atmospheric model, simulated for TRAPPIST-1 e. The profile behavior follows from the equations and assumptions described in Section 2.2. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Biosignature-Detectability.png?resize=1200%2C720&ssl=1)
[astro-ph.EP] The search for life beyond the Solar System is at a turning point, transitioning from theoretical predictions to observations enabled by next-generation observatories.
Transmission spectroscopy
![Best-fitting spectrum and atmospheric properties of WD 1856 b. a. Spectral decomposition illustrating the model components required to explain WD 1856 b’s JWST transmission spectrum (FIREFLy reduction; orange circles with 1 σ error bars). The best-fitting model (black curve) contains absorption from multiple CH4 features (purple shading), H2 + He continuum absorption (dark grey shading), and tentative evidence of C2H6 near 3.4 µm (brown shading) and PH3 near 4.3 µm (orange shading). Aerosol continuum opacity (silver shading) blocks thermal emission from the deep atmosphere in windows between CH4 bands, obscuring the ‘negative spikes’ that would otherwise be observed near 0.7 µm, 2.9 µm, and longwards of 4.0 µm for a clear atmosphere. The best-fitting model without nightside thermal emission (blue dashed curve) cannot explain the significantly lower transit depths longwards of 3.5 µm. b. Retrieved atmospheric properties, planetary mass, and aerosol properties from WD 1856 b’s JWST transmission spectrum for the FIREFLy (orange histograms) and Juniper (green histograms) data reductions. The median (solid line) and 1 σ credible intervals for each parameter (dashed lines) are overlaid. c. Residuals between the data and best-fitting model. -- [astro-ph.EP]](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/Aerosols.png?resize=1200%2C719&ssl=1)
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather
Aerosols And Hydrocarbons In The Atmosphere Of A White Dwarf Planet
[astro-ph.EP] Most stars, including our Sun, will one day evolve into red giants and, subsequently, white dwarfs. Several planet candidates have recently been identified orbiting white dwarfs, demonstrating that planets […]
Posted inUncategorized
An Empirical Determination Of The Cosmic Shoreline
The cosmic shoreline concept was introduced to separate planets with atmospheres from those without, by relating the cumulative X-ray and extreme-ultraviolet (XUV) instellation (integrated over the planet’s lifetime) to the […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Space Stations
The Capability Of CSST In Characterizing Planetary Atmospheres. I. Transmission Spectroscopy Of Hot Jupiters
Transmission spectroscopy has become a primary tool for probing exoplanetary atmospheres, enabling constraints on their chemical compositions and providing limited information on their thermal properties.
Posted inAtmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Photochemical CS2 Gas Detected On A 20-Myr-old Exoplanet
Probing the atmospheres of young exoplanets offers a powerful window into how planetary systems evolve and the physical and chemical processes that drive those early evolutions.
Posted inAstronomy & 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
Transmission spectroscopy enables the characterization of exoplanet atmospheres by probing absorption features in their terminator regions.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
Atmosphere Of Saturn-sized Planet With Earth-like Temperature Contains Methane
A planet that is about the size of Saturn, but with a temperature more like Earth’s, has an atmosphere rich in methane, according to a new study using NASA’s James […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The First Remotely Detected Biosignature May Not Be the Most Common: Implications for JWST and HWO
The first detected member of a new astronomical class is often not representative of the underlying population, but instead reflects the selection effects of the observing technique that found it.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biophysics, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
Detecting Fundamental Chiral Biosignatures in the Ultraviolet Polarization Spectrum
Chiral molecules are ubiquitous and necessary for life as we know it. In extant life, the amino acid and sugar constituents of proteins and biopolymers consist of only one enantiomer.
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Agentic Science Toolkit for Exoplanet Research
The expansion of exoplanet observations has created a need for flexible, accessible, and user-friendly workflows.