What exactly makes an exoplanet ‘habitable’?
Astronomers have been on the hunt for habitable planets outside of our own solar system for decades -- but what exactly counts as habitable?.....»»
Webb finds hints of a third planet at PDS 70
The exoplanet census now stands at 5,599 confirmed discoveries in 4,163 star systems, with another 10,157 candidates awaiting confirmation. So far, the vast majority of these have been detected using indirect methods, including transit photometry (74.....»»
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......»»
Astronomers discover new Saturn-sized exoplanet
An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of a new exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-1135 b is young, hot and comparable in size to Saturn. The discovery was detailed in a paper published.....»»
If exoplanets have lightning, it"ll complicate the search for life
Discovering exoplanets is almost routine now. We've found over 5,500 exoplanets, and the next step is to study their atmospheres and look for biosignatures. The James Webb Space Telescope is leading the way in that effort. But in some exoplanet atmos.....»»
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......»»
JWST data suggest exoplanet K2-18b may have molten surface rather than a watery ocean
A multi-institutional team of astronomers, Earth scientists and planetary physicists has found evidence, via data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), that some hycean exoplanets may have molten surfaces rather than watery oceans. In their stu.....»»
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......»»
Neptune-like exoplanets can be cloudy or clear: New findings suggest the reason why
The study of "exoplanets," the sci-fi-sounding name for all planets in the cosmos beyond our own solar system, is a fairly new field. Mainly, exoplanet researchers like those in the ExoLab at the University of Kansas use data from space-borne telesco.....»»
New Wolf in the pack: Astronomers discover an ultra-short-period super-Earth
Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a new ultra-short-period exoplanet. The newfound alien world, designated Wolf 327 b, is slightly larger and about 2.5 times more massive th.....»»
Researchers are spying for signs of life among exoplanet atmospheres
The next generation of advanced telescopes could sharpen the hunt for potential extraterrestrial life by closely scrutinizing the atmospheres of nearby exoplanets, new research suggests......»»
Small exoplanet could be hot and steamy according to Hubble
Hubble recently identified water vapor in the atmosphere of a small, hot exoplanet......»»