New Extrasolar Planetary System May Be Much Like Our Own

Researchers from the NAI’s University of Arizona Team have published a new study in the current issue of Astrophysical Journal Letters of the potential habitability of the extrasolar planetary system OGLE-2006-BLG-109L. The first multiple-planet system ever to be discovered by gravitational microlensing, it has two large planets similar to Jupiter and Saturn. It’s possible that the system harbors other planets, including Earth-like planets, that are beyond the sensitivity of the microlensing observations.

Their study examines the prospects for an Earth-like habitable planet in this system. They found that...

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July 18, 2008 / Posted by: Daniella Scalice

Chris Impey receives ASP Richard H. Emmons Award

University of Arizona researcher and educator Chris Impey has received the 2008 ASP Richard H. Emmons award, which recognizes and celebrates outstanding achievement in the teaching of college-level introductory astronomy for non-science majors. The award citation states that “Innovation is certainly a hallmark of Chris’s approach to teaching astronomy. He is ever thought provoking and engaging; students benefit from his refreshing methods that use interactive techniques and a blend of online and classroom teaching.”

May 12, 2008 / Written by: Wendy Dolci

Astrobiology and the Arts

The University of Arizona NAI Team and their “Astrobiology and the Sacred” project present “Astrobiology and the Arts,” a two-day symposium next week featuring readings of new fiction, panel discussions, music and dance performances, multimedia presentations, and lectures from the nexus of these two grand endeavors.

Source: [Link]

September 14, 2007 / Posted by: Shige Abe

Chemical Complexity in an Old Star

Scientists from NAI’s University of Arizona Team have studied the outflow of VY Canis Majoris, an oxygen-rich supergiant star. Thier results show that, against expectations, an old, oxygen-rich star can synthesize a chemically varied molecular cocktail. The study is published in this week’s Nature, and a News and Views about the paper is also available.

Source: [Link]

June 28, 2007 / Posted by: Shige Abe

Final Assembly of Earth-Like Planets

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: [Link]

April 17, 2007 / Posted by: Shige Abe

Organic Hazes on Early Earth and Titan

Researchers from NAI’s Unviersity of Colorado, Boulder and University of Arizona Teams have published a new study in PNAS this week about the atmospheres of both present day Titan and early Earth. For Titan, their experiments modeled conditions measured by the Huygens probe from NASA’s Cassini mission, and CO2 was added to model the early Earth conditions. They conclude that organize haze can form over a wide range of methane and carbon dioxide concentrations.

Source: [Link]

November 7, 2006 / Posted by: Shige Abe

Planets for Brown Dwarfs?

Scientists from NAI’s University of Arizona Lead Team have used the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope to observe the very beginnings of what might become planets around brown dwarfs. They publish their results this week in Science.

Source: [Link]

October 20, 2005 / Posted by: Shige Abe

The Origin of Planetary Impactors in the Inner Solar System

Scientists from NAI’s University of Arizona and University of Washington Lead Teams recently published a paper in Science concerning this history of the Solar System. Their paper looks at differences in the size distrubutions of asteroid populations during and after the heavy bombardment period ~ 3.8 billion years ago.

Source: [Link]

October 13, 2005 / Posted by: Shige Abe