A rendering of the exoplanet Kepler 442 b, compared in size to Earth. Kepler 442 b was detected using the Kepler Space Telescope and is 0ne of a handful of planets found so far deemed to be most likely to be habitable. But it’s 1200 light-years away, so learning its secrets will be challenging.Wikipedia
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured the distinct signature of water, along with evidence for clouds and haze, in the atmosphere surrounding a hot, puffy gas giant planet orbiting a distant Sun-like star.NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
The edge of a nearby, young, star-forming region called NGC 3324 in the Carina Nebula as captured in infrared light by NASA’s Webb Space Telescope. This image reveals for the first time previously invisible areas of star birth.NASA, ESA, CSA, and STScI
This artist's concept shows what the TRAPPIST-1 planetary system may look like, based on available data about the planets' diameters, masses and distances from the host star, as of February 2018.NASA/JPL-Caltech
The Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL) at the University of Washington in Seattle has been at the forefront of exoplanet science for more than two decades. The NASA-supported lab has advanced our understanding of exoplanet habitability as well as our understanding of the Earth system itself. The work of VPL has played an important role in shaping the future of astrobiology science and has informed the development of many space missions, including the Webb space telescope.
A new feature from Many Worlds recently discussed key discoveries of the VPL and what VPL researchers are looking forward to in the years to come. The feature is available at:
https://manyworlds.space/2022/09/14/the-virtual-planetary-lab-and-its-search-for-what-makes-an-exoplanet-habitable-or-even-inhabited/
The VPL also features in Issue 6 of Astrobiology: The Story of Our Search for Life in the Universe, available at: https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/resources/graphic-histories/
The Many Worlds Blog chronicles the search for evidence of life beyond Earth written by author/journalist Marc Kaufman. The “Many Worlds” column is supported by the Lunar Planetary Institute/USRA and informed by NASA’s NExSS initiative, a research coordination network supported by the NASA Astrobiology Program. Any opinions expressed are the author’s alone.