Habitability
The Color of Habitable Worlds
“This is where we live. On a Blue Dot.” said Carl Sagan when the now famous Pale Blue Dot photo…
The Search for Superhabitable Planets. Worlds Even More Habitable Than Earth
REMINDER: - Universe Today will be hosting an interview with Dr. Dirk Schulze-Makuch, co-author of the research featured in this…
Just How Bad are Superflares to a Planet’s Habitability?
Star's can be full of surprises; some of them nasty. While our own Sun appears pretty placid, science has shown…
There Could Be Carbon-Rich Exoplanets Made Of Diamonds
Scientists are getting better at understanding exoplanets. We now know that they're plentiful, and that they can even orbit dead…
Astronomers are Starting to Find Planets in Much Longer Orbits. Cooler, More Habitable Planets
We're getting better and better at detecting exoplanets. Using the transit method of detection, the Kepler Space Telescope examined over…
1 in 10 Red Giants are Covered in Spots, and They Rotate Surprisingly Quickly
Sunspots are common on our Sun. These darker patches are cooler than their surroundings, and they're caused by spikes in…
Deep Down in Ocean Worlds, it’s Difficult to Tell Where the Oceans End and the Rock Begins
We all know what water is. And what rock is. The difference is crystal clear. Well, here on Earth it…
More Evidence that Europa’s Oceans Could be Habitable
At first glance, Jupiter's moon Europa doesn't seem much like Earth. It's a moon, not a planet, and it's covered…
A 2nd Planet has been Confirmed for Proxima Centauri
Our closest stellar neighbour is Proxima Centauri, a small red dwarf star about 4.2 light years away from us. It's…
Astronomers Have Found the Star/Exoplanet Combo That’s the Best Twin to the Sun/Earth
At times, it seems like there's an indundation of announcements featuring discoveries of "Earth-like" planets. And while those announcements are…