“NASA’s search for life in the Universe is focused on so-called Habitable Zone planets, which are worlds that have the potential for liquid water oceans,” says Stephanie Olson at the University of Chicago. “But not all oceans are equally hospitable–and some oceans will be better places to live than others due to their global circulation patterns”.
Astronomers with NASA’s new SISTINE Mission are targeting M-dwarf stars in their search for extraterrestrial life. Smaller and colder than our Sun, M-dwarfs generate intense ultra-violet light and account for nearly three-quarters of the Milky Way’s stellar population. To understand exoplanets that orbit them, scientists simulated Earth-sized planets circling M-dwarfs. Differences from Earth quickly emerged.
“TOI-270 is a true Disneyland for exoplanet science, and one of the prime star systems TESS was set out to discover,” says Maximilian Günther, at MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, of three new worlds that are among the smallest, nearest exoplanets known to date. “It is an exceptional laboratory for not one, but many reasons — it really ticks all the boxes.”
What’s buried in the data? “The team is currently focused on finding the best candidates to confirm by ground-based follow-up,” said Natalia Guerrero, who manages the team in charge of identifying exoplanet candidates at MIT. “But there are many more potential exoplanet candidates in the data yet to be analyzed, so we’re really just seeing the tip of the iceberg here. TESS has only scratched the surface.”
The Moon’s south pole region is home to some of the most extreme environments in the solar system –NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) has measured the coldest temperatures in the solar system inside the permanent darkness of lunar South Pole craters, which have become known as perfect environments for preserving material like water for eons. Or so we thought.
“We choose to go.” The BBC season finale comes from where JFK made his famous Moon speech. We reflect on one of the greatest achievements in human history.
