Biology
Scientific paper
Dec 2006
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2006aas...20912403m&link_type=abstract
2007 AAS/AAPT Joint Meeting, American Astronomical Society Meeting 209, #124.03; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society,
Biology
Scientific paper
In the coming decades, the search for life beyond our Solar System will use astronomical telescopes, such as NASA’s Terrestrial Planet Finder and ESA’s Darwin missions, to directly detect extrasolar terrestrial planets, and obtain time-resolved photometry and disk-averaged spectra. Photometry will provide a first order characterization, but spectroscopy will be our most powerful tool for probing extrasolar planetary environmental conditions. Spectra of an extrasolar planet can be used to search for signs of habitability, a planet’s ability to support life, by determining the presence and nature of an atmosphere, and attempting to constrain the surface temperature. Spectroscopy may also reveal biosignatures, life's global-scale effects on a planetary environment. These biosignatures may manifest themselves as disequilibrium concentrations of gases in the atmosphere, characteristic surface reflectivity or emissivity, or temporal variability in planetary characteristics. The synergistic combination of information from several wavelength regions can also be used to provide a more robust determination of habitability and the presence of life. Because extrasolar terrestrial planets may be significantly more diverse than those seen in our own Solar System, interdisciplinary theoretical modeling will be required to understand the likely range of planetary spectra we may find, and to assist in the spectral retrieval of planetary properties. The Virtual Planetary Laboratory (VPL) is a suite of interdisciplinary computer models, first developed under the auspices of NASA's Astrobiology Institute, used to explore the environments and spectral appearance of plausible terrestrial planets beyond our Solar System. Here, we will use VPL modeling results for Solar System planets, and for synthetic Earth-like planet environments around F, G, K and M stars to provide a brief overview of what could be learned about extrasolar terrestrial planet habitability, or the presence of life, using remote-sensing techniques.
This work was supported by NASA Astrobiology Institute’s CAN-00-OSS-01.
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