NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and ESA’s XMM-Newton Observatory have observed stars close enough to be prime targets in the search for direct images of planets with future telescopes. Astronomers use this X-ray data to determine how habitable exoplanets are, based on whether they receive lethal radiation from the stars they orbit, as explained in our latest press release. This type of research will help guide observations with the next generation of telescopes, which seek to capture the first images of Earth-like planets.
The researchers examined stars close enough to Earth So that telescopes that will start operating in the next decade or two, including the Observatory of Habitable Worlds in space and the Very Large Telescopes on Earth, can image planets in the so-called habitable zones of stars. This term defines the orbits in which planets can have liquid water on their surfaces.
There are many factors that influence what might make a planet suitable for life as we know it. One such factor is the amount of harmful X-rays and ultraviolet radiation it receives, which can damage or even strip away the planet’s atmosphere. Based on X-ray observations of some of these stars using Chandra and XMM-Newton data, The research team examined stars that may have favorable conditions for life to form It thrives on the planets it orbits. They studied how bright stars are in X-rays, how active they are in X-rays, and how much and how quickly they change in their X-ray emission, for example due to flares. Brighter, more energetic X-rays can cause more damage to the atmospheres of the planets they orbit.
The researchers used approximately 10 days of Chandra observations and approximately 26 days of XMM observations., which is available in the archive, studied the X-ray behavior of 57 nearby stars, some of which are known planets. Most of these planets are giants such as Jupiter, Saturn or Neptune, while only a few planets or planet candidates could have masses less than approximately twice that of Earth.
These results were presented at the 244th meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Madison, Wisconsin, by Brenna Binder of California Polytechnic State University in Pomona. NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center manages the Chandra program. The Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory’s Chandra X-ray Center controls science from Cambridge, Massachusetts, and flight operations from Burlington, Massachusetts.
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