Habitable Planets
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NASA's Curiosity Rover Probes "Spiderwebs" On Mars. Here's What It Means
Curiosity rover's findings have raised new questions about the Red Planet's habitability and the potential for life beyond Earth.
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Astronomers Find Planet Close To Solar System With Earth-Like Size And Orbit
Researchers estimate that the planet has about a 50% chance of being in its star's Hoble zone.
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Scientists Discover 'Potentially Habitable' Earth-Like Planet Candidate
If confirmed, this exoplanet would be the only known rocky world in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star.
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Kepler Data Reveals Earth-Size Exoplanet on the Edge of Its Star’s Habitable Zone
Scientists studying Kepler telescope data have identified HD 137010 b, a possible Earth-sized planet orbiting a Sun-like star. While the planet follows a year-long orbit and may sit near the habitable zone, limited starlight could leave it colder than Mars. Future observations will determine whether this icy world truly exists.
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Early Earth’s Deep Mantle May Have Held More Water Than Previously Believed, Study Finds
Scientists have discovered that Earth’s deep mantle may have stored an ocean’s worth of water during the planet’s earliest years. New experiments show that bridgmanite, a dominant mantle mineral, can hold much more water under extreme heat, offering fresh insight into how Earth retained water and became habitable.
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TRAPPIST-1e Methane Signal Likely False, Webb Data Suggests Airless Planet
The TRAPPIST-1 planetary system, located about 39 light-years from Earth, hosts seven rocky worlds orbiting a cool red dwarf star. While several of these Earth-sized planets lie in the star’s habitable zone, new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest their atmospheres may be too thin to support life. Earlier hints of methane aro...
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Astronomers Detect "Super-Earth" Just 18 Light-Years Away In Habitable Zone
Researchers at UC Irvine and their partners published their study in The Astronomical Journal.
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AI-Assisted Study Finds No Evidence of Liquid Water in Mars’ Seasonal Dark Streaks
A large-scale AI analysis of more than two million Mars orbiter images shows that the planet’s dark slope streaks form through seasonal dust avalanches, not flowing briny water. The results settle a long-running debate, revealing that wind-driven dust activity shapes Mars’ surface and offering new insights into the planet’s climate past and e...
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Astronomers Spot First Coronal Mass Ejection from a Distant Star, Raising Questions About Planetary Habitability
Astronomers detected the first coronal mass ejection from a distant star, revealing that powerful stellar eruptions may strip atmospheres from nearby planets, affecting exoplanet habitability and the search for life.
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Planets Could Create Their Own Water While Forming, Expanding Possibilities for Habitable Worlds
Lab experiments show planets can generate water during formation, not just via comets. This suggests habitable conditions may be widespread in the galaxy, expanding possibilities for life-friendly exoplanets.
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NASA's Curiosity Rover Probes "Spiderwebs" On Mars. Here's What It Means
Curiosity rover's findings have raised new questions about the Red Planet's habitability and the potential for life beyond Earth.
-
Astronomers Find Planet Close To Solar System With Earth-Like Size And Orbit
Researchers estimate that the planet has about a 50% chance of being in its star's Hoble zone.
-
Scientists Discover 'Potentially Habitable' Earth-Like Planet Candidate
If confirmed, this exoplanet would be the only known rocky world in the habitable zone of a Sun-like star.
-
Kepler Data Reveals Earth-Size Exoplanet on the Edge of Its Star’s Habitable Zone
Scientists studying Kepler telescope data have identified HD 137010 b, a possible Earth-sized planet orbiting a Sun-like star. While the planet follows a year-long orbit and may sit near the habitable zone, limited starlight could leave it colder than Mars. Future observations will determine whether this icy world truly exists.
-
Early Earth’s Deep Mantle May Have Held More Water Than Previously Believed, Study Finds
Scientists have discovered that Earth’s deep mantle may have stored an ocean’s worth of water during the planet’s earliest years. New experiments show that bridgmanite, a dominant mantle mineral, can hold much more water under extreme heat, offering fresh insight into how Earth retained water and became habitable.
-
TRAPPIST-1e Methane Signal Likely False, Webb Data Suggests Airless Planet
The TRAPPIST-1 planetary system, located about 39 light-years from Earth, hosts seven rocky worlds orbiting a cool red dwarf star. While several of these Earth-sized planets lie in the star’s habitable zone, new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope suggest their atmospheres may be too thin to support life. Earlier hints of methane aro...
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Astronomers Detect "Super-Earth" Just 18 Light-Years Away In Habitable Zone
Researchers at UC Irvine and their partners published their study in The Astronomical Journal.
-
AI-Assisted Study Finds No Evidence of Liquid Water in Mars’ Seasonal Dark Streaks
A large-scale AI analysis of more than two million Mars orbiter images shows that the planet’s dark slope streaks form through seasonal dust avalanches, not flowing briny water. The results settle a long-running debate, revealing that wind-driven dust activity shapes Mars’ surface and offering new insights into the planet’s climate past and e...
-
Astronomers Spot First Coronal Mass Ejection from a Distant Star, Raising Questions About Planetary Habitability
Astronomers detected the first coronal mass ejection from a distant star, revealing that powerful stellar eruptions may strip atmospheres from nearby planets, affecting exoplanet habitability and the search for life.
-
Planets Could Create Their Own Water While Forming, Expanding Possibilities for Habitable Worlds
Lab experiments show planets can generate water during formation, not just via comets. This suggests habitable conditions may be widespread in the galaxy, expanding possibilities for life-friendly exoplanets.
