The Guest Observer target policy has been amended. Guest Observers may propose science using any target within the Kepler field of view, subject to the caveats and restrictions provided in Section 2.2 of this appendix.
No change has been made in the due date for this program element. Proposals are due January 15, 2010.
Continue reading "ROSES-09 Amendment 29: Appendix D.9: Kepler Guest Observer - Cycle 2" »
Two nearby stars have been found to harbor "super-Earths" rocky planets larger than the Earth but smaller than ice giants such as Uranus and Neptune. Unlike previously discovered stars with super-Earths, both of the stars are similar to the Sun, suggesting to scientists that low-mass planets may be common around nearby stars. "Over the last 12 years or so nearly 400 planets have been found, and the vast majority of them have been very largeJupiter mass or even larger," says researcher Paul Butler of NAI's team at the Carnegie Institution of Washington. "These latest planets are part of a new trend of finding much smaller planets - planets that are more comparable to Earth." For more information: http://www.ciw.edu/news/first_super_earths_discovered_around_sun_stars [Source NAI Newsletter]
January 7-8, 2010 (Thursday 1:00-5:15pm and Friday 8:30am-12:00noon)
Marriott Wardman Park, Washington DC
Scientists interested in exoplanet exploration from space-based platforms are encouraged to attend the upcoming meeting of the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). You can review the agenda from the Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) website listed below. Note that you do not need to register for the AAS in order to attend; it's at the same location, but is a separate meeting.
Researchers from the Carnegie Institution of Washington and their colleagues have published a paper entitled "The Carnegie Astrometric Planet Search Program," in Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific. The paper describes an astrometric search for gas giant planets and brown dwarfs orbiting nearby low-mass dwarf stars, using the 2.5 m du Pont Telescope at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile.
[Source: NAI Newsletter]
The Astrophysics Division of NASA's Science Mission Directorate is soliciting nominations for the Executive Committee of a newly established Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG). The inaugural ExoPAG Chair will be Jim Kasting, a long-time member of the astrobiology community and the NAI. The ExoPAG will be responsible for soliciting and coordinating community input into the development and execution of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program. Interested members of the astrobiology community are encouraged to nominate colleagues or themselves to serve on the ExoPAG Executive Committee. The deadline for receipt of nominations is Sept. 4, 2009. For more information: http://exep.jpl.nasa.gov/exep_exoPAG.cfm Source: NAI Newsletter
This year, the AGU meeting in San Francisco, CA will have a session on the habitable zone organized by colleagues from the NAI. The conveners would like the session to be interdisciplinary in nature, and invite astrobiologists from all disciplines to present concepts related to habitability and the definition of the habitable zone.
For more information see http://www.agu.org/meetings/fm09/program/scientific_session_search.php?show=detail&sessid=523
The deadline to submit an abstract is 03 September 2009.
Continue reading "AGU Session B30: Revisiting the Habitable Zone" »
Dear Astrobiology Community member,
The Astrophysics Division of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate is soliciting nominations for the Executive Committee of a newly established Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG).
The inaugural ExoPAG Chair will be Jim Kasting, a long-time member of the astrobiology community and the NAI. The ExoPAG will be responsible for soliciting and coordinating community input into the development and execution of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program. Additional information and a link to a website with detailed information are provided in the attachment.
I am writing to encourage interested members of the astrobiology community to nominate colleagues or themselves to serve on the ExoPAG Executive Committee. The deadline for receipt of nominations is Sept. 4, 2009. See the attachment and website for nomination requirements and procedures.
With best wishes,
Carl
Carl B. Pilcher, Director
NASA Astrobiology Institute
NASA Ames Research Center
Moffett Field, CA 94035
Continue reading "Establishment of the Exoplanet Exploration Program Analysis Group (ExoPAG)" »
This amendment establishes a new program element in Appendix D.11 entitled "Technology Development for Exoplanet Missions." This new program element solicits proposals to develop specific technologies (TRL 4-6) that feed into key exoplanet exploration measurement techniques. The measurement techniques upon which future Exoplanet Exploration Program missions are likely to be based include astrometry, coronagraphy, interferometry, and precision photometry.
Comets are the deep freezers of dust and ices extant in the early solar nebula at the time of the formation of the giant planets. Astromineralogy is the study of the chemical and structural properties of the dust grains. Studying the dust mineralogy in comets and protoplanetary disks, and, in particular, the amorphous and crystalline silicates, probes the relative abundances of interstellar grains and grains thermally altered or condensed in the inner hot regions of disks, respectively. Research combines analysis and modeling of Spitzer and ground-based spectroscopy of comets as well as radiative transfer modeling of protoplanetary disks to further our understanding of the thermal processing and radial transport of dust in protoplanetary disks at the early epochs of planetesimal formation. Deadline: 5:00 PM EST February 1, 2009. http://fellowships.hq.nasa.gov/gsrp/research/detail.cfm?oppID=30
We are engaged in developing the near-infrared camera (NIRCam) and mid-infrared instrument (MIRI) of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and are planning on using these instruments to observe transiting exoplanets. This work is being done in conjunction with exoplanet theorists and other JWST team members and should predict what scientific results will be possible with JWST. We are also investigating direct imaging coronagraphic exoplanet missions and are developing a state-of-the-art Phase Induced Amplitude Apodization coronagraph testbed in our Ames Coronagraph Experiment Laboratory. Deadline: February 1st, 2009 http://fellowships.hq.nasa.gov/gsrp/research/detail.cfm?oppID=848
Source: [NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program (GSRP)]
The discovery of CO2 in the atmosphere of extrasolar planet HD 189733b was announced in the November 21, 2008 issue of Nature News. The exoplanet is a hot Jupiter orbiting a star 63 light years from Earth. While it's extremely unlikely that this particular planet supports life as we know it, the ability to measure the presence of CO2 in its atmosphere bolsters the search for life outside the Solar System. Giovanna Tinetti, former NAI Postdoctoral Fellow, is lead author in the study which used the NICMOS instrument onboard the Hubble Space Telescope to make the measurement. The results were announced in Paris this week at the Molecules in the Atmospheres of Extrasolar Planets workshop, and will be published in the Astrophysical Journal.
Source: NAI Newsletter
Dates: February 4-6, 2009
Location: NASA Ames Research Center
Reconciling observations of extrasolar planets with those of the solar system will engage the efforts of planetary formation observers and theorists for the foreseeable future. The aim of this meeting is to promote cross-fertilization between the extrasolar and the solar planetary communities. The topics will include both theoretical and observational characterization of protostars and planets. The emphasis of the meeting will be to compare and contrast planetary systems. Ideally, constraints derived from diverse planetary systems will be complementary; yet, the extent to which such systems can be viewed under a common prism remains to be clarified.
Continue reading "Solar-Extrasolar Meeting to be held as NASA Ames Research Center" »
NAI - Nordic Summer School: "Water, Ice and the Origin of Life in the Universe"
Iceland, 29 June to 13 July 2009
The NASA Astrobiology Institute and the Nordic Astrobiology Network will conduct a summer school on the role of water in the evolution of life in the cosmos - in Iceland on the above dates. The school is intended for students and post-docs in astrobiology-related subjects (biology, chemistry, physics, astronomy, geosciences etc.) The school will be organized in three sections:
* An introductory lecture course
* Excursions to several places in Iceland of astrobiological interest (hot springs, glaciers, geysers, Mars-like environments)
* A lab course on the geochemistry and extremophile community of hot springs (no previous experience in microbiological lab work and field research needed)
Continue reading "Nordic Summer School: "Water, Ice and the Origin of Life in the Universe"" »
Dates: February 4 - 6, 2009
On the first day, the meeting will address the stellar environment during planet formation. On the second, invited talks will touch on extrasolar planets and planet formation. The third day will cover solar system talks. Since the range of topics is quite broad, a preliminary schedule is included below. When submitting an abstract please take into consideration how well your chosen topic fits into the program, as this will be one of the criteria for the selection panel. We will schedule 10 or so contributed talks, and will have a poster session if there is sufficient interest.
Please Contact Ignacio Mosqueira at mosqueir@cosmic.arc.nasa.gov with an abstract of 1000 words or less in word or pdf format before November 15. Abstracts should emphasize the broad theme of the Origins of planetary systems.
Source: NAI Newsletter
The NAI Planetary System Formation Focus Group (PSFFG) invites interested astrobiologists to participate in a review of the astrobiological value of upcoming and proposed NASA space telescopes relevant for the general question of planetary system formation. The meeting will be held in conjunction with the meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Long Beach, California on January 4-9, 2009. For details about the AAS meeting, please see:
http://aas.org/meetings/aas213
Continue reading "NAI Planetary System Formation Focus Group Meeting" »
Salle Cassini, Observatoire de Paris, November 19-21 2008
Exoplanets are being discovered at an ever accelerating pace. As a result planetary scientists and astronomers are increasingly called upon to make the transition from discovery to characterization, so that we can begin the long journey of understanding these planets in the same way that we understand those in our own Solar System. Among the known exoplanets, hot-Jupiters and hot-Neptunes that transit their parent stars present the first real opportunities to determine key compositional and atmospheric parameters.
Continue reading "Molecules in the Atmospheres of Extrasolar Planets - A Workshop in Paris" »
WHEN: November 19, 2008 (Wed) ~ November 21, 2008 (Fri)
WHERE: Salle Cassini, Observatoire Paris, Paris, France
Exoplanets are being discovered at an ever accelerating pace, and planetary scientists and astronomers are increasingly called upon to make the transition from discovery to characterization. This workshop aims at bringing together different scientific communities: solar system planetary scientists, brown dwarf and exoplanet modellers and observers, molecular spectroscopy and instrument development experts.
We will cover different topics: radiative transfer, line lists, photochemical models, dynamics, and observations using space- and ground-based facilities. Current results will be discussed in the context of the preparation of upcoming missions, SPITZER, JWST, and SPICA, and the next generation of direct detection mission concepts from ground and space.
Posted by: Daniella Scalice, NASA Astrobiology
NASA Hubble Space Telescope Daily Report #4691
NICMOS Confirmation of an Extrasolar Panet Candidate Directly Detected with ACS
With ACS/HRC coronagraphy, we have achieved the direct detection of a planet candidate in F606W and F814W around a bright nearby star with a debris belt. The planet candidate lies 18 astronomical units interior to the dust belt and we detect counterclockwise orbital motion in observations separated by 1.75 years. The candidate has mass no greater than three Jupiter masses based on an analysis of its luminosity and the dynamical argument that a significantly more massive object would disrupt the dust belt.
Continue reading "Bright Star, Extrasolar Planet, Debris Belt" »
The NASA Exoplanet Science Institute announces the introduction of the Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowship Program and solicits applications for fellowships to begin in the fall of 2009.
The Sagan Fellowships support outstanding recent postdoctoral scientists to conduct independent research that is broadly related to the science goals of the NASA Exoplanet Exploration area. The primary goal of missions within this program is to discover and characterize planetary systems and Earth-like planets around nearby stars.
Continue reading "Carl Sagan Postdoctoral Fellowships in Exoplanet Exploration" »
This amendment announces a new proposal opportunity in Appendix D.10 entitled "MOST U.S. Guest Observer Program - Cycle 1." This program element solicits proposals for the acquisition and analysis of new scientific data from the MOST (Microvariability and Oscillations of STars) observatory through a partnership between NASA and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Observations associated with the MOST U.S. Guest Observer -- Cycle 1 solicitation will begin on or around February 1, 2009 and awards will have a 12-month duration.
This amendment announces a new proposal opportunity in Appendix D.9 entitled "Kepler Guest Observer - Cycle 1." This program element solicits proposals for the acquisition and analysis of new scientific data from the Kepler mission, which will be the tenth mission to be launched under NASA's Discovery Program. Observations associated with the Kepler Guest Observer -- Cycle 1 solicitation will begin immediately following the successful scientific commissioning of the spacecraft. During its 3.5-year prime mission, Kepler will continuously monitor a ~100 square degree field-of-view (FOV) in the Cygnus region, with the objective of photometrically detecting transits of Earth-size planets in the habitable zone. The instrument's high-precision photometry capability, with two available cadence modes (1 minute and 30-minute) is also sufficient for asteroseismology research and other variability analyses of both Galactic and extragalactic sources.
Presenter: Giovanna Tinetti, University College, London
Date/Time: June 2, 2008 11:00 AM Pacific
Abstract: In the past decade, over 280 planets orbiting other stars (extrasolar planets) have been discovered. For a growing sample of giant extrasolar planets orbiting very close to their parent star (hot-Jupiters), we can already probe their atmospheric constituents using transit techniques. With this method, we can indirectly observe the thin atmospheric ring surrounding the optically thick disc of the planet -the limb- while the planet is transiting in front of its parent star. This method was traditionally used to probe the atmospheres of planets in our Solar System and most recently, thanks to the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, was successfully applied to exoplanets.
Former NAI Postdoctoral Fellow Giovanna Tinetti is co-author on a groundbreaking paper in Nature detailing the observation of methane and water vapor in the atmosphere of the extrasolar planet HD 189733b. The team used the NASA Hubble Space Telescope to observe the transiting exoplanet, using the NICMOS camera to obtain a spectrophotometric time series. This result is a milestone in the search for life elsewhere in the Universe, most importantly because it demonstrates that we have the technology to identify these molecules in exoplanet atmospheres.
[Source: NAI newsletter]
July 21-25, 2008, St Andrews, Scotland
The Cool Stars meetings have a long tradition of presenting cutting edge science in the fields of cool stars, exoplanets and solar physics. Topics of interest at Cool Stars 15 will include seismology, surface and atmospheric dynamics, angular momentum evolution, dust formation, coronae, magnetospheres and winds. The conference aims to gather scientists working in all these fields in order to stimulate cross-disciplinary exchange. The NAI is sponsoring 9 speakers at this meeting.
For a preliminary program and registration see: http://star-www.st-and.ac.uk/coolstars15/
The deadline for contributed talks is May 2, 2008. [Source: NAI newsletter]
January 30th: "The New Worlds Observer: A Mission to Open Up Detailed Study of Planetary Systems"
NAI will be broadcasting this virtual seminar over the web at 2pm MST on Wednesday, January 30th. Webster Cash from UC Boulder will present. Please contact Marco Boldt for information on how to join. Marco.S.Boldt@nasa.gov
Join us for the next NAI Director's Seminar on Monday, February 4th at 11am PST. The seminar, "The Effect of Protoplanetary Disk Dispersal on Planet Formation," will be given by David Hollenbach of NASA Ames Research Center. For information on how to join the seminar, go to: http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/seminars/seminar_detail.cfm?ID=117.
In April, a European team of astronomers announced in Astronomy & Astrophysics the discovery of two possibly habitable Earth-like planets. A&A is now publishing two independent, detailed studies of this system, which confirm that one of the planets might indeed be located within the habitable zone around the star Gliese 581.
Researchers from NAI's University of Hawai'i Team have a new paper in The Astronomical Journal describing a major survey of visual binaries toward the Orion Nebula Cluster. The team used images obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys on the Hubble Space Telescope through an H filter. Among 781 stars that fulfill the criteria for membership in the Orion Nebula Cluster, the group found 78 multiple systems (75 binaries and 3 triples), of which 55 are new discoveries.
[source: NAI Newsletter]
Speaker: Geoff Marcy (University of California, Berkeley)
Date/Time: Monday, December 3, 2007 11:00 AM PST
The measured masses and orbits of the 200 secure exoplanets within 200 parsecs reveal the processes of formation and subsequent dynamics. (One parsec is the distance at which one astronomical unit subtends an angle of 1 second of arc.) Several planets reveal information on their cores and interiors. Multiple-planet systems, especially those in resonances, inform us about migration, scattering, and capture. Planets from 5-14 Earth masses are now detectable, and several have been found. The Kepler Mission and a new 2.4-m "Automated Planet Finder" telescope at Lick Observatory portend the detection of rocky planets.
For more information and connection information: http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/seminars/seminar_detail.cfm?ID=114
[Source: NAI Newsletter]
In Science, astrobiologists from NAI's University of Hawai'i Team review the prospects for discovering smaller planets more like Earth, some of which may even have conditions suitable for life. Improved techniques and the ability to monitor fainter stars now enable astronomers to discover smaller planets, particularly planets orbiting much closer to their host star than the Earth is to the Sun. This review article is based on an NAI-supported session at the May, 2007 meeting of the American Astronomical Society. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
NAI Postdoctoral Fellow Elise Furlan from NAI's UCLA Team is co-author on a new paper in Nature reporting the development of a protoplanetary disk. Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, observations were made of water vapor within the emerging system's natal cloud. Lead author Dan Watson of the University of Rochester said, "For the first time, we are seeing water being delivered to the region where planets will most likely form."
Source: NAI Newsletter
An international team of researchers, including members of NASA Astrobiology Institute's (NAI) Virtual Planetary Laboratory team used NASA's Spitzer Space telescope to detect the presence of water vapor on the hot Jupiter Henry Draper (HD) Catalog 189733b. (The "b" after the number indicates that the reference is to a planet circling the star with that number.)
This is significant because several attempts to detect water on such planets either failed to find compelling evidence or made it clear that their claims should not be taken as fact. An article about this study was published recently in Nature magazine. The study's primary author, Giovanna Tinetti was a 2003 NAI Postdoctoral Fellow.
An international team of researchers including members of NAI's Virtual Planetary Laboratory Team have, using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, detected the presence of water vapor on the hot jupiter HD 189733b. Published in Nature, the study's primary author, Giovanna Tinetti, was a 2003 NAI Postdoctoral Fellow. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
A Habitable Earth, Systemic: "There remain three blockbuster, front-page discoveries in exoplanetary science. The first is the identification of a potentially habitable Earth-mass planet around another star. The second is the detection of a life-bearing planet. The third is contact with extraterrestrial intelligence. It’s hard to predict when (and in which order) discoveries #2 and #3 will take place. Discovery #1, on the other hand, is imminent. We’re currently 2±1 years away from the detection of the first habitable Earth-mass planet (which implies ~15% chance that the announcement will come within one year). The breakthrough detection of a habitable Earth will almost certainly stem from high-precision Doppler monitoring of a nearby red dwarf star, and already, both the Swiss team and the California-Carnegie team are coming tantalizingly close"
Astronomers find first habitable Earth-like planet, ESO
"Astronomers have discovered the most Earth-like planet outside our Solar System to date, an exoplanet with a radius only 50% larger than the Earth and capable of having liquid water. Using the ESO 3.6-m telescope, a team of Swiss, French and Portuguese scientists discovered a super-Earth about 5 times the mass of the Earth that orbits a red dwarf, already known to harbour a Neptune-mass planet. The astronomers have also strong evidence for the presence of a third planet with a mass about 8 Earth masses."
Members of NAI's Virtual Planetary Laboratory Alumni Team and their colleagues have a new paper in the current issue of Astrobiology. They present a critical discussion of M star properties that are relevant for the long- and short-term thermal, dynamical, geological, and environmental stability of conventional liquid water habitable zone (HZ) M star planets. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Multidisciplinary work from members of NAI's SETI Institute Team and a host of collaborators across the NAI re-examines what is known at present about the potential for a terrestrial planet forming within, or migrating into, the classic liquid–surface–water habitable zone close to an M dwarf star. Their new paper, published in the current issue of Astrobiology, presents the summary conclusions of an interdisciplinary workshop sponsored by NAI and convened at the SETI Institute in 2005. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Differently colored plants may live on extra-solar planets, according to two new papers in the current issue of Astrobiology authored by members of NAI's Virtual Planetary Laboratory Alumni Team and their colleagues. They took previously simulated planetary atmospheric compositions for Earth-like planets orbiting various star types (including M stars), generated spectra, and found that photosynthetic pigments may peak in absorbance in the blue for some star types, and red-orange and near-infrared for others. Their results also suggest that, under water, organisms would still be able to survive ultraviolet flares from young M stars and acquire adequate light for growth - which greatly increases the scope for habitability in these systems. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
NAI Postdoctoral Fellow Sean Raymond leads a team of authors from NAI's University of Colorado, Boulder, and University of Arizona Teams, and Virtual Planetary Laboratory and University of Washington Alumni Teams in a new publication in Astrobiology. They present analysis of water delivery and planetary habitability in 5 high-resolution simulations forming 15 terrestrial planets. Their results outline a new model for water delivery to terrestrial planets in dynamically calm systems, which may be very common in the Galaxy. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Search for Habitable Planets Outside Earth's Solar System in Astrobiology
"Which planets outside of Earth's Solar System are most likely to be capable of supporting life is a question that will be the focus of both a NASA-sponsored workshop later this year and a special collection of papers in the Spring 2007 (Volume 7, Number 1) issue of Astrobiology, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc."
Special session at the 210th Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Honolulu, Hawaii
Thursday May 31 (Morning) Convenors: Nader Haghighipour and Eric Gaidos (University of Hawaii NAI Lead Team)
Continue reading "Hot Earths: Formation, Detection and Structure" »
Speaker: Drake Deming (Planetary Systems Laboratory & Goddard Center for Astrobiology, Goddard Space Flight Center) Date/Time: Monday, March 26, 2007 11AM PDT
Abstract: Two independent scientific groups have recently reported the first spectroscopy of planets orbiting other stars, using the Spitzer Space Telescope.
Continue reading "NAI Director's Seminar 3/26: "Infrared Spectra of Extrasolar Planets"" »
Intended for graduate students and postdoctoral researchers, the 2007 Michelson Summer Workshop: "Planetary Transits: Detection to Characterization," will take place at the NASA Ames Conference Center, Moffett Field, CA July 23 - 27. The workshop will consist of a series of tutorial and scientific lectures covering techniques related to transits and extra-solar planet finding. More information, along with a preliminary agenda can be found on the workshop website: http://msc.caltech.edu/workshop/2007/ [source: NAI Newsletter]
Researchers from NAI's Carnegie Institution of Washington and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center Teams have a new paper in Nature describing the infrared spectrum of exoplanet HD 209458b as obtained by the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope. Scientists from NAI's University of Arizona and Alumni Virtual Planetary Laboratory Teams are contributing authors on a similar paper in Astrophysical Journal Letters which details the spectrum of exoplanet HD 189733b.
An international team of researchers including NAI Postdoctoral Fellow Evgenya Shkolnik of the University of Hawai'i Team publish their observation in this month's Royal Astronomical Society Letters of a magnetic field at the surface of star Tau Bootis, which is orbited by a giant planet every three days. The magnetic field's intensity is similar to that of the Sun, but the star and the planet are tidally locked, possibly producing the observed magnetic knots. [Source: NAI Newsletter]
Speakers: Sean Raymond (University of Colorado) and Avi Mandell (Goddard Space Flight Center) Date/Time: Monday, November 27, 2006 11AM PST
Exotic Earths: Forming Habitable Worlds with Giant Planet Migration, Science
Earth-like Planets May Be More Common Than Once Thought, University of Colorado at Boulder
"More than one-third of the giant planet systems recently detected outside Earth's solar system may harbor Earth-like planets, many covered in deep oceans with potential for life, according to a new study."
NAI's Virtual Planetary Laboratory Team have explored the possibility of detecting exovegetation on terrestrial planets orbiting M stars. They estimated the red-shift of this surface feature using leaf optical property spectra with a three photon photosynthetic scheme. The authors have produced a model wherein a pigment-derived surface signature such as exovegetation could be detected, but would be dependent upon the extent of the vegetation on the surface, cloud cover, and viewing angle.
The third Pale Blue Dot workshop will be held at the Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum in Chicago from 17-20 September, 2006. (The first two Pale Blue Dot workshops were held at NASA Ames Research Center in 1996 and 1999.) Many NAI members are on the program organizing committee, including the Chair Vikki Meadows, and NAI is a co-convenor of the meeting along with Adler.
Continue reading "Pale Blue Dot III Registration Now Open" »
"NASA will host a media teleconference at 1 p.m. EDT Wednesday, June 7, about the discovery of carbon-rich gas around a young star that may be forming terrestrial planets. The discovery was made with NASA's Far Ultraviolet Spectroscopic Explorer spacecraft and will be featured in the June 8 issue of Nature."
Continue reading "Preview of This Week's Space Science Announcement" »
The Adler Planetarium & Astronomy Museum and the NAI (http://nai.arc.nasa.gov/) are co-convening the third Pale Blue Dot workshop, which is made possible by the Brinson Foundation. Pale Blue Dot III will provide a venue to forge links between terrestrial and astronomical biosignatures, and to develop ideas and methods that may be used for the detection of life beyond Earth. Pale Blue Dot III will also establish a two way dialogue between scientists and media that will facilitate lasting relationships, better media coverage of science, and enhanced public awareness and understanding of science.
