Spectroscopic search for life

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notFritzArgelander
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Spectroscopic search for life

#1

Post by notFritzArgelander »


https://phys.org/news/2019-12-exoplanet ... ectra.html

There's a lack of interesting detail.....
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
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Re: Spectroscopic search for life

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Post by notFritzArgelander »


The paper's abstract is more informative.

https://academic.oup.com/mnras/advance- ... m=fulltext
The closest stars that harbor potentially habitable planets are cool M-stars. Upcoming ground- and space-based telescopes will be able to search the atmosphere of such planets for a range of chemicals. To facilitate this search and to inform upcoming observations, we model the high-resolution reflection spectra of two of the closest potentially habitable exoplanets for a range of terrestrial atmospheres and surface pressures for active and inactive phases of their host stars for both oxic and anoxic conditions: Proxima b, the closest potentially habitable exoplanet, and Trappist-1e, one of 3 Earth-size planets orbiting in the Habitable Zone of Trappist-1. We find that atmospheric spectral features, including biosignatures like O2 in combination with a reduced gas like CH4 for oxic atmospheres, as well as climate indicators like CO2 and H2O for all atmospheres, show absorption features in the spectra of Proxima b and Trappist-1e models. However for some features like oxygen, high-resolution observations will be critical to identify them in a planet's reflected flux. Thus these two planets will be among the best targets for upcoming observations of potential Earth-like planets in reflected light with planned Extremely Large Telescopes.
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
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Re: Spectroscopic search for life

#3

Post by ThinkerX »


save for the more luminous (and mature) ones, M dwarfs are not exactly prime candidates for harboring planets with life anything close to that of earth.
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Re: Spectroscopic search for life

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Post by notFritzArgelander »


ThinkerX wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2019 2:50 am save for the more luminous (and mature) ones, M dwarfs are not exactly prime candidates for harboring planets with life anything close to that of earth.
They are flogging a comatose horse. Alert the SPCA!
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
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Re: Spectroscopic search for life

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Post by AntennaGuy »


"About 4 light-years from Earth, Proxima b can be resolved by new ground-based telescopes, giving astronomers an edge in observing this close-by world."
Q: Did you lose your keys somewhere around here?
A: Well, I think I most likely lost them on the other side of the street.
Q: Then why are you looking over here?
A: The light is much better here!
Astronomic moral: Sometimes you actually have to settle for looking in low-probability places, if you just can't see well enough anywhere else.
* Meade 323 refractor on a manual equatorial mount.
* Celestron C6 SCT on a Twilight 1 Alt-Az mount
Prof. Barnhardt to Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still: "There are several thousand questions I'd like to ask you.”
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Re: Spectroscopic search for life

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Post by notFritzArgelander »


AntennaGuy wrote: Thu Dec 05, 2019 5:10 am "About 4 light-years from Earth, Proxima b can be resolved by new ground-based telescopes, giving astronomers an edge in observing this close-by world."
Q: Did you lose your keys somewhere around here?
A: Well, I think I most likely lost them on the other side of the street.
Q: Then why are you looking over here?
A: The light is much better here!
Astronomic moral: Sometimes you actually have to settle for looking in low-probability places, if you just can't see well enough anywhere else.
As long as you understand the selection effects involved, no harm is done.
Scopes: Refs: Orion ST80, SV 80EDA f7, TS 102ED f11 Newts: AWB 130mm, f5, Z12 f5; Cats: VMC110L, Intes MK66,VMC200L f9.75 EPs: KK Fujiyama Orthoscopics, 2x Vixen NPLs (40-6mm) and BCOs, Baader Mark IV zooms, TV Panoptics, Delos, Plossl 32-8mm. Mixed brand Masuyama/Astroplans Binoculars: Nikon Aculon 10x50, Celestron 15x70, Baader Maxbright. Mounts: Star Seeker IV, Vixen Porta II, Celestron CG5
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Re: Spectroscopic search for life

#7

Post by helicon »


Interesting article and comment thread notFrtiz. I think you guys have about covered it.
-Michael
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