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.....»»
First indications of a rare, rainbow ‘glory effect’ on hellish exoplanet
Researchers believe they may have identified a set of rainbow-like colorful rings, called a glory, on a planet outside our solar system for the first time......»»
Astronomers detect potential "glory effect" on a hellish distant world for the first time
Potential signs of the rainbow-like "glory effect" have been detected on a planet outside our solar system. Glory are colorful concentric rings of light that occur only under peculiar conditions......»»
In a distant stellar system, the JWST sees the end of planet formation
Every time a star forms, it represents an explosion of possibilities. Not for the star itself; its fate is governed by its mass. The possibilities it signifies are in the planets that form around it. Will some be rocky? Will they be in the habitable.....»»
A holistic look at Earth"s chemical cycling sheds light on how the planet stays habitable
We all know Earth is special, but we may not fully appreciate how good we have it on this planet. Unlike its planetary neighbors, Earth has remained habitable for billions of years thanks to a complicated, ever-changing dance of elements......»»
Could Earth life survive on a red dwarf planet?
Even though exoplanet science has advanced significantly in the last decade or two, we're still in an unfortunate situation. Scientists can only make educated guesses about which exoplanets may be habitable. Even the closest exoplanet is four light-y.....»»
Dune: What the climate of Arrakis can tell us about the hunt for habitable exoplanets
Frank Herbert's Dune is epic sci-fi storytelling with an environmental message at its heart. The novels and movies are set on the desert planet of Arrakis, which various characters dream of transforming into a greener world—much like some envision.....»»
The LIFE telescope passed its first test, detecting biosignatures on Earth
We know that there are thousands of exoplanets out there, with many millions more waiting to be discovered. But the vast majority of exoplanets are simply uninhabitable. For the few that may be habitable, we can only determine if they are by examinin.....»»
Jupiter"s moon Europa produces less oxygen than we thought—it may affect our chances of finding life there
Jupiter's icy moon Europa has long been thought of as one of the most habitable worlds in the Solar System. Now the Juno mission to Jupiter has directly sampled its atmosphere in detail for the first time. The results, published in Nature Astronomy,.....»»
Jupiter’s icy moon Europa may be light on oxygen, lowering habitability hopes
New research pours cold water on the likelihood of Europa being habitable, as it seems that the moon produces less oxygen than previously thought......»»
A bright idea for recycling rare-earth phosphors from used fluorescent bulbs
Recycling facilities collect glass and mercury from thrown-away fluorescent bulbs, but discarded lighting could also supply rare-earth metals for reuse. The 17 metals referred to as rare earths aren't all widely available and aren't easily extracted.....»»
Possible atmospheric destruction of a potentially habitable exoplanet
Astrophysicists studying a popular exoplanet in its star's habitable zone have found that electric currents in the planet's upper atmosphere could create sufficient heating to expand the atmosphere enough that it leaves the planet, likely leaving the.....»»
Saturn"s largest moon most likely uninhabitable
A study led by Western astrobiologist Catherine Neish shows the subsurface ocean of Titan—the largest moon of Saturn—is most likely a non-habitable environment, meaning any hope of finding life in the icy world is dead in the water......»»
Simulations provide potential explanation for mysterious gap in size distribution of super-Earths
Ordinarily, planets in evolved planetary systems, such as the solar system, follow stable orbits around their central star. However, many indications suggest that some planets might depart from their birthplaces during their early evolution by migrat.....»»
Newly discovered carbon monoxide-runaway gap can help identify habitable exoplanets
The search for habitable exoplanets involves looking for planets with similar conditions to the Earth, such as liquid water, a suitable temperature range and atmospheric conditions. One crucial factor is the planet's position in the habitable zone, t.....»»
A super-Earth (and possible Earth-sized) exoplanet found in the habitable zone
Astronomers have found a new Super-Earth orbiting an M-dwarf (red dwarf) star about 137 light-years away. The planet is named TOI-715b, and it's about 1.55 Earth's radius and is inside the star's habitable zone. There's also another planetary candida.....»»
Atmospheres in the TRAPPIST-1 system should be long gone
Trappist-1 is a fascinating exoplanetary system. Seven worlds orbiting a red dwarf star just 40 light-years away. All of the worlds are similar to Earth in mass and size, and three or four of them are potentially habitable. Imagine exploring a system.....»»
Astronomers discover a super-Earth located in the habitable zone
Astronomers have discovered a type of exoplanet called a "super-Earth" located in the habitable zone of its small star - and it's right in our cosmic backyard......»»
Life on Earth uses water as a solvent. What are some other options for life as we don"t know it?
There is a vast menagerie of potentially habitable worlds in the cosmos, which means the universe could be home to a diversity of life beyond what we can imagine. Creatures built on silicon rather than carbon, or organisms that breathe hydrogen inste.....»»
People once lived in a vast region in north-western Australia—and it had an inland sea
For much of the 65,000 years of Australia's human history, the now-submerged northwest continental shelf connected the Kimberley and western Arnhem Land. This vast, habitable realm covered nearly 390,000 square kilometers, an area one-and-a-half time.....»»
Netflix"s "The Bequeathed" trailer is a bloody family nightmare
"Train to Busan" and "Hellhound"s Yeon Sang-Ho is back with more cold, hard dread with Netflix series "The Bequeathed." Trailer. Train to Busan and Hellbound’s Yeon Sang-Ho has rattled us with high-speed zombies and hellish creatures back.....»»