ASTROBIOLOGY

Mapping the Milky Way's Galactic Habitable Zone for Life

Mapping the Milky Way's Galactic Habitable Zone for Life

Astronomers have mapped the Milky Way's Galactic Habitable Zone—a 10,000-light-year-wide ring where metallicity, supernova rates, and stellar stability align to support life. Earth orbits in this cosmic sweet spot, 27,000 light-years from the galactic center, where conditions have remained stable for billions of years. New missions like JWST and TESS are targeting planets in this zone, discovering Earth-sized worlds with atmospheres, and transforming the search for extraterrestrial life into ...

Phosphine on Venus: Life or Chemical Mystery?

Phosphine on Venus: Life or Chemical Mystery?

In 2020, astronomers detected phosphine—a gas produced by life on Earth—in Venus's toxic clouds, sparking debate about alien microbes versus unknown chemistry. After data controversies and a 2024 reconfirmation with ammonia detection, multiple missions (NASA's DAVINCI/VERITAS, ESA's EnVision, Rocket Lab's Morning Star) will investigate Venus's atmosphere by 2035. Whether phosphine signals life or reveals new planetary chemistry, the answer will redefine habitability, reshape our search for ex...