2013/04/18 by L. Kaltenegger, D. Sasselov, S. Rugheimer · 1 voice · 48 citations
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Circumstellar habitable zone #Habitability of orange dwarf systems #Observable #Planet #Planetary habitability #Space Science and Extraterrestrial Life #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Terrestrial planet #astro-ph.EP #astro-ph.IM
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/2041-8205/775/2/l47
published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters 775(2), L47 (IOP Publishing) · 8 pages, 4 figures, ApJ, 775, L47
openalex publication_date 2013/09/18 · arxiv created 2013/09/19 · arxiv updated 2015/06/15 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Planets composed of large quantities of water that reside in the habitable zone are expected to have distinct geophysics and geochemistry of their surfaces and atmospheres. We explore these properties motivated by two key questions: whether such planets could provide habitable conditions and whether they exhibit discernable spectral features that distinguish a water-planet from a rocky Earth-like planet. We show that the recently discovered planets Kepler-62 e and -62 f are the first viable candidates for habitable zone water-planets. We use these planets as test cases for discussing those differences in detail. We generate atmospheric spectral models and find that potentially habitable water-planets show a distinctive spectral fingerprint in transit depending on their position in the habitable zone.