Habitable Worlds Observatory

Earth-like exoplanets might be in short supply for the Habitable Worlds Observatory

How common are Earth-like exoplanets—also called exo-Earths—and which exoplanetary systems should we target to find them? This is what a…

2 weeks ago

How to SUPPPPRESS Light From a Star That Is Ten Billion Times Brighter Than Its Habitable Exoplanet

Searching for Earth 2.0 has been an obsession of almost all exoplanet hunters since the discipline's dawn a few decades…

1 month ago

Research Work Begins on the Habitable Worlds Observatory

NASA are planning on building a telescope to hunt for habitable worlds. The imaginatively named ‘Habitable Worlds Observatory’ is at…

3 months ago

Suppressing Starlight: How to Find Other Earths

One underappreciated aspect of the current flood of exoplanet discoveries is the technical marvels that enable it. Scientists and engineers…

3 months ago

Could Alien Solar Panels Be Technosignatures?

If alien technological civilizations exist, they almost certainly use solar energy. Along with wind, it's the cleanest, most accessible form…

3 months ago

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Could See Lunar and Solar ‘Exo-Eclipses’

A future space observatory could use exo-eclipses to tease out exomoon populations.

3 months ago

Astronomers Identify 164 Promising Targets for the Habitable Worlds Observatory

Planning large astronomical missions is a long process. In some cases, such as the now functional James Webb Space Telescope,…

8 months ago

When did the First Continents Appear in the Universe?

On Earth, continents are likely necessary to support life. Continents 'float' on top of the Earth's viscous mantle, and heat…

12 months ago

How Can We Bring Down the Costs of Large Space Telescopes?

We're all basking in the success of the James Webb Space Telescope. It's fulfilling its promise as our most powerful…

12 months ago

JWST Pioneer Passes Along Advice for Future Space Telescope Builders

After a quarter-century of development, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope is a smashing success. But senior project scientist John Mather,…

2 years ago