How can we know if we"re looking at habitable exo-Earths or hellish exo-Venuses?
The differences between Earth and Venus are obvious to us. One is radiant with life and adorned with glittering seas, and the other is a scorching, glowering hellhole, its volcanic surface shrouded by thick clouds and visible only with radar. But the.....»»
Climate migrants could face a world of closing doors
People driven from their homes as global warming redraws the map of habitable zones are unlikely to find refuge in countries more focused on slamming shut their borders than planning for a climate-addled future, according to a top expert on migration.....»»
First Hints of a Planet Orbiting in a White Dwarf"s Habitable Zone
A distant white dwarf is surrounded by space rocks marching in perfect time. This observation offers hints of what may be the first planet we have detected in the habitable zone of one of these stellar corpses, suggesting that they might be just as g.....»»
Hints of a planet in the habitable zone of a dead star
Researchers find indications of a potential exoplanet in a white dwarf's narrow habitable zone for the first time......»»
Planetary bodies observed for first time in habitable zone of dead star
A ring of planetary debris studded with moon-sized structures has been observed orbiting close to a white dwarf star, hinting at a nearby planet in the "habitable zone" where water and life could exist, according to a new study led by UCL researchers.....»»
Mini-Neptunes and Super-Earths: How puffy planets could be the missing link
When astronomers look at planets outside our solar system, called exoplanets, often they have only minimal information they can use to classify them. Two key factors they often do know are the planets’ size and their mass, from which they can d.....»»
Puffy planets lose atmospheres, become super-Earths
Astronomers have identified two different cases of "mini-Neptune" planets that are losing their puffy atmospheres and likely transforming into super-Earths. Radiation from the planets' stars is stripping away their atmospheres, driving hot gas to esc.....»»
Moons may yield clues to what makes planets habitable
Earth's moon is vitally important in making Earth the planet we know today: The moon controls the length of the day and ocean tides, which affect the biological cycles of lifeforms on our planet. The moon also contributes to Earth's climate by stabil.....»»
Scientists turn back time to track methane emissions on Mars
NASA's Curiosity rover landed on Mars in August 2012, and its investigations revealed that Mars was once a potentially habitable planet. One of Curiosity's most exciting observations has been periodic, unusually high abundances of methane in Mars's a.....»»
Machine learning algorithms help scientists explore Mars
NASA's Curiosity rover has been exploring the Red Planet's surface for nearly a decade, with its main mission being to determine whether Mars was once habitable. While the rover's investigations have indeed confirmed that Mars was once a watery world.....»»
The Search for ET Has an X-Factor: the Evolution of Stars
To support life, a planet has to stay in its star’s “habitable zone.” But research on a nearby star shows that life-friendly zones won’t stay that way forever......»»
Exoplanet with eccentric orbit discovered in the habitable zone of a red dwarf
Astronomers have found a planet in the habitable zone of a red dwarf star, but its orbit is so elongated that it likely couldn't support life......»»
The James Webb Space Telescope is about to supercharge our hunt for exoplanets
The James Webb Space Telescope is set to launch in the coming months, and when it does, it will completely revolutionize how we hunt for habitable planets......»»
Floating "aerobats" could be the best way to explore the cloud tops of Venus
According to multiple lines of evidence, Venus was once a much different planet than it is today. But roughly 500 million years ago, a massive resurfacing event triggered a runaway greenhouse effect that led to the poisonous and hellish environment w.....»»
Could acid-neutralizing life-forms make habitable pockets in Venus" clouds?
It's hard to imagine a more inhospitable world than our closest planetary neighbor. With an atmosphere thick with carbon dioxide, and a surface hot enough to melt lead, Venus is a scorched and suffocating wasteland where life as we know it could not.....»»
James Webb Space Telescope: A giant leap towards "other Earths"?
There is only one Earth... that we know of......»»
A year lasts just 8 hours on tiny, hellish planet bombarded by radiation
Astronomers have discovered a terrifying planet: Smaller than Earth and so close to its star that it completes an orbit in just eight hours......»»
New evidence hints at volcanic activity within Venuses" Idunn Mons
An international team of researchers has found evidence that suggests possible volcanic activity involving Venuses' Idunn Mons. In their paper published in The Planetary Science Journal, the group describes the evidence they found, but also note that.....»»
One year on this giant, blistering hot planet is just 16 hours long
The hunt for planets beyond our solar system has turned up more than 4,000 far-flung worlds, orbiting stars thousands of light years from Earth. These extrasolar planets are a veritable menagerie, from rocky super-Earths and miniature Neptunes to co.....»»
Scientists Plan Private Mission to Hunt for Earths around Alpha Centauri
A privately funded telescope called Toliman will seek habitable worlds in our nearest neighboring star system, potentially sparking a new wave of exoplanetary exploration -- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com.....»»
New Mission To Scour Our Interstellar Neighbourhood for Planets that Could Sustain Life
A new space mission to hunt for potentially habitable planets around Earth's closest neighbouring star system is under way. From a report: In a project with echoes of the 2009 film Avatar, an international collaboration of scientists in Australia and.....»»