Photosynthetic Exergy I. Thermodynamic Limits For Habitable-zone Planets
Spectral flux and exergy at the top of the atmosphere for three blackbody models, all normalized to the…
New discovery of ammonia on Europa hints at active geology
View larger. | Composite image showing location of some of the ammonia-bearing compounds on Jupiter’s moon Europa (red…
NASA Says Europa Is Covered by a Thick Icy Shell
Jupiter’s moon, Europa, has long fascinated scientists. They believe it’s covered in a massive salty ocean, holding almost…
Cool, Earth-Sized Exoplanet Found Orbiting Nearby Star
Astronomers have discovered a new exoplanet orbiting the nearby K-dwarf star HD 137010 after detecting a single, shallow…
Ammonia-Bearing Compounds Detected on Europa for First Time
A new analysis of archival data from the Near Infrared Mapping Spectrometer (NIMS) on board NASA’s Galileo spacecraft…
NASA Has a New Estimate for Europa’s Ice Shell, and Whoa Is It Ever Thick
Europa, one of Jupiter’s 95 moons, is encased in a shell of water ice, and researchers have just…
Powerful magnetic fields on super-Earths could boost chances of life
View larger. | This is an artist’s concept of a super-Earth with a deep magma ocean generating a…
New Model Suggests How Nutrients Could Penetrate Europa’s Ice Shell to Feed Its Hidden Ocean
A duo of geophysicists from Washington State University and Virginia Tech has uncovered a plausible pathway for nutrient…
New survey of nearest stars reveals best spots for life
View larger. | This is an artist’s concept of Kepler-186f, an Earth-sized exoplanet about 500 light-years from Earth.…
This ‘Wet Lava Ball’ in Space Somehow Clings to an Atmosphere
Scientists have discovered the strongest evidence yet of a rocky planet with an atmosphere outside the solar system,…
Astronomers might find signs of life on exoplanets in less than 4 years
For centuries, humans have wondered whether they are alone in the universe. And although no concrete evidence has…
After 20 years of research, astronomers discover a planet that looks strangely like Earth
For years, many astronomers have been searching for exoplanets in the universe. And although some of them are…