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Rocky planets orbiting small stars could have stable atmospheres needed to support life
A new study finds that rocky planets orbiting small stars do have the potential for stable, life-supporting atmospheres. The finding supports continued study of the TRAPPIST-1 system and other top...
Now, a University of Washington-led study recently published in Nature Communications finds that a sequence of events during the evolution of certain rocky planets orbiting M-dwarfs creates an atmosphere that would be stable over time. “One of the most intriguing questions right now in exoplanet astronomy is: Can rocky planets orbiting M-dwarf stars maintain atmospheres that could support life?” said lead author Joshua Krissansen-Totton, a UW assistant professor of Earth and space sciences. Co-authors are Nicholas Wogan, who did this work as a UW graduate student and is now at NASA; Maggie Thompson at Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington, D.C.; and Jonathan Fortney at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
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