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Habitability

All articles tagged with #habitability

Starless Rogue-Moon Orbits Could Sustain Long-Lived Subsurface Oceans
science5 hours ago

Starless Rogue-Moon Orbits Could Sustain Long-Lived Subsurface Oceans

A 2025 arXiv modelling study suggests moons bound to planets ejected by supernovae could remain in interstellar space and heat internal oceans via tidal flexing, potentially keeping subsurface oceans for billions of years without sunlight. In simulations, 12–15% of cases yielded heating within the Europa/Enceladus range; surfaces would stay frozen and oceans would be buried, but the internal heat could sustain liquid water. The work is theoretical and depends on model inputs, and no confirmed rogue-planet moons have been observed yet; still, it widens habitable-setting thinking beyond star warmth.

via Space Daily|
#exomoons#habitability#rogue-planets
Mars's Hidden Magma Seas Could Have Built a Habitable Past
space10 days ago

Mars's Hidden Magma Seas Could Have Built a Habitable Past

NASA's InSight seismic data reveal a deep crustal boundary on Mars formed by vast magma pools, suggesting the crust differentiated into mafic and ultramafic layers and implying interconnected, long-lived magmatic systems beneath the planet. This transcrustal magmatism could have reprocessed mantle material, releasing greenhouse gases and thickening the early atmosphere to sustain warmer conditions, potentially making Mars habitable in its past, while also hinting at near-surface mineral wealth.

via Space|
#geophysics#habitability#insight
A 0.8 Earth-Radius Threshold Signals When Tiny Planets Lose Their Atmospheres
space1 month ago

A 0.8 Earth-Radius Threshold Signals When Tiny Planets Lose Their Atmospheres

A new model called STEHM finds that planets smaller than about 0.8 Earth radii struggle to hold onto atmospheres due to weaker gravity and faster interior cooling, which suppresses outgassing; under common CO2 conditions, 0.6–0.5 R⊕ worlds can lose atmospheres in tens to hundreds of millions of years, while planets at or above 0.8 R⊕ retain thick atmospheres for billions of years. Exceptions exist for unusually high initial carbon, minimal core radius, or a cold start delaying outgassing. The study suggests using 0.8 R⊕ as a practical filter in planning future exoplanet observations and prioritizing targets for atmospheric characterization.

via Indian Defence Review|
#atmospheres#exoplanets#habitability
Desert Exoplanets in the Habitable Zone May Not Harbor Life
science2 months ago

Desert Exoplanets in the Habitable Zone May Not Harbor Life

A University of Washington study finds that an Earth-sized planet needs a substantial surface water inventory—about 20–50% of Earth’s ocean volume—to maintain long-term habitability. On very dry worlds, the carbon cycle can break down, allowing CO2 to build up and heat the planet, potentially rendering it uninhabitable despite being in the habitable zone. Venus serves as a nearby analog, illustrating how small water differences can dramatically impact climate. The work suggests many desert-like exoplanets thought promising for life may actually be poor candidates and informs future observations and Venus missions.

via SciTechDaily|
#arid-planets#carbon-cycle#exoplanets
Curiosity detects diverse organics on Mars, hinting at ancient habitability
science-space2 months ago

Curiosity detects diverse organics on Mars, hinting at ancient habitability

NASA’s Curiosity rover, via a wet-chemistry experiment on a Mary Anning rock at Gale Crater, uncovered 21 carbon-containing molecules, including seven not previously detected on Mars. The organics could be preserved for about 3.5 billion years, reinforcing the idea that ancient Mars was habitable, though the findings do not prove life. Researchers say definitive answers require returning samples to Earth, and future missions with similar chemistry experiments (e.g., ExoMars Rosalind Franklin, Dragonfly) will continue probing Mars’ organic past.

via CNN|
#curiosity#habitability#mars
Rogue planets' moons may host billions of years of habitability
space3 months ago

Rogue planets' moons may host billions of years of habitability

Astronomers propose that moons orbiting free-floating, starless rogue planets could stay warm enough for liquid water for billions of years thanks to tidal heating and hydrogen-dominated atmospheres that trap heat via collision-induced absorption (CIA). Using radiative-transfer (HELIOS) and chemistry (GGchem) codes, the study shows such exomoons could maintain long-term habitability even without a sun, though the models rely on simplifications (e.g., dry atmospheres, constant gravity) and future work will add clouds and water-vapor effects. This expands the search for life beyond traditional, star‑dependent habitable zones.

via Space|
#exomoons#habitability#hydrogen-atmosphere
Dark-world oceans: moons around sunless rogue planets could harbor life for billions of years
space-exploration3 months ago

Dark-world oceans: moons around sunless rogue planets could harbor life for billions of years

New simulations suggest Earth-sized moons orbiting free-floating, starless rogue planets could remain warm enough to keep liquid water on their surfaces for up to 4.3 billion years, thanks to tidal heating and insulating hydrogen atmospheres, potentially expanding habitable environments beyond traditional stellar zones.

via Space|
#exomoon#habitability#liquid-water
NASA’s SPARCS CubeSat Captures First Ultraviolet Images of Common Milky Way Stars
space3 months ago

NASA’s SPARCS CubeSat Captures First Ultraviolet Images of Common Milky Way Stars

NASA's Star-Planet Activity Research CubeSat (SPARCS), launched in January 2026, has delivered the first ultraviolet images of nearby low-mass stars, confirming its UV-sensitive detectors and readiness for science operations. Over about a year it will monitor around 20 stars to study how their flares and UV activity affect orbiting exoplanets, a key step in understanding planetary atmospheres and habitability.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#exoplanets#habitability#low-mass-stars
Inside-Out Exoplanet System Upends Formation Theory
world4 months ago

Inside-Out Exoplanet System Upends Formation Theory

CHEOPS observations reveal four planets orbiting the red dwarf LHS 1903 far closer to their star than Mercury is to the Sun: two rocky super-Earths and two gaseous mini-Neptunes. The outermost planet, surprisingly rocky, challenges standard models that predict rocky worlds close in and gas giants farther out, suggesting an 'inside-out' assembly in which gas was depleted by inner planets or the atmosphere was stripped after formation. With a mass of about 5.8 Earth masses and a surface temperature around 60°C, it could be marginally habitable, and future JWST studies could probe its atmosphere.

via Dawn|
#cheops#exoplanets#habitability