Volcanoes Light Up Atmospheres of Small Exoplanets

Astrobiology Magazine | Feb. 15, 2016 | By: Elizabeth Howell

Newly discovered planet GJ 1132b, a super-Venus very close to its parent star, could be a candidate to look for volcanic eruptions. Credit: Dana Berry

Geologic activity on a planet is believed to be very important for life, but it can be hard to spot its signs from far away — especially on smaller, rocky planets akin to Earth. What if there was a large volcanic eruption on such an Earth-like planet — could we spot that? A group of graduate students at the University of Washington’s astrobiology program considered this question after it arose during a class discussion about the search for life outside our solar system. Read more...