CHARACTERIZING HABITABLE EXOMOONS
- Harvard University, 60 Garden Street, 02138 MA, Cambridge (United States), E-mail: lkaltene@cfa.harvard.edu
We discuss the possibility of screening the atmosphere of exomoons for habitability. We concentrate on Earth-like satellites of extrasolar giant planets (EGPs) that orbit in the Habitable Zone (HZ) of their host stars. The detectability of exomoons for EGPs in the HZ has recently been shown to be feasible with the Kepler Mission or equivalent photometry using transit duration observations. Transmission spectroscopy of exomoons is a unique potential tool to screen them for habitability in the near future, especially around low mass stars. Using the Earth itself as a proxy we show the potential and limits of spectroscopy to detect biomarkers on an Earth-like exomoon and discuss effects of tidal locking for such potential habitats.
- OSTI ID:
- 21305070
- Journal Information:
- Astrophysical Journal Letters, Vol. 712, Issue 2; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/2041-8205/712/2/L125; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 2041-8205
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
MAGNETIC SHIELDING OF EXOMOONS BEYOND THE CIRCUMPLANETARY HABITABLE EDGE
POST-CAPTURE EVOLUTION OF POTENTIALLY HABITABLE EXOMOONS