Most high-priority Habitable Worlds Observatory targets have measured stellar activity and rotation, but long-term magnetic activity cycles are known for fewer than 20% of them.
NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) Mission Star List for the Habitable Worlds Observatory (2023)
8 Pith papers cite this work, alongside 15 external citations. Polarity classification is still indexing.
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abstract
The Astro 2020 Decadal Survey "Pathways to Discovery in Astronomy and Astrophysics for the 2020s" has recommended that "after a successful mission and technology maturation program, NASA should embark on a program to realize a mission to search for biosignatures from a robust number of about ~25 habitable zone planets and to be a transformative facility for general astrophysics," and prescribing that the high-contrast direct imaging mission would have "a target off-axis inscribed diameter of approximately 6 meters." The Decadal Survey assumed an exo-Earth frequency of ~25%, requiring that approximately 100 cumulative habitable zones of nearby stars should be surveyed. Surveying the nearby bright stars, and taking into account inputs from the LUVOIR and HabEx mission studies (but without being overly prescriptive in the required starlight suppression technology or requirements), we compile a list of 164 stars whose exo-Earths would be the most accessible for a systematic imaging survey of habitable zones with a 6-m-class space telescope in terms of angular separation, planet brightness in reflected light, and planet-star brightness ratio. We compile this star list to motivate observations and analysis to help inform observatory design (mission-enabling "precursor science") and enhance the science return of the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) survey for exo-Earths (mission-enhancing "preparatory science"). It is anticipated that this list of target stars and their properties will be updated periodically by the NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program.
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A template-matching simulation framework shows that R>1,000 spectrographs yield higher biosignature sensitivity than R~140 for Earth analogs, because correlated speckle noise can suppress detections at low resolution.
Selection effects in JWST transmission spectroscopy and HWO reflected-light imaging may cause the first biosignature detection to arise from an atypical planet rather than a representative Earth analog.
Climate states on exoplanets with the same atmospheric composition create different reflectance spectra, changing the detectability of atmospheric features and biosignatures, with seasonal variations on high-obliquity worlds adding time-dependent signals.
Simulations using occurrence rates rank HWO ExEP stars by probability of hosting a temperate terrestrial planet or moon, reaching up to 50% for some systems.
N-body simulations demonstrate long-term dynamical stability of the HD 20794 system across a range of inclinations, with planet d identified as the lowest-mass high-eccentricity HZ-crossing planet.
Advocates for a coordinated HST UV spectroscopy program on high-priority HWO targets to constrain stellar radiation environments ahead of direct exoplanet observations.
The ExEP Science Gap List identifies 17 areas where current knowledge falls short of requirements for defining and maximizing the science return from future NASA exoplanet missions.
citing papers explorer
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HWO Target Stars and Systems: Activity and Rotation Catalog (ARC) of Potential Target Stars for the Habitable Worlds Observatory
Most high-priority Habitable Worlds Observatory targets have measured stellar activity and rotation, but long-term magnetic activity cycles are known for fewer than 20% of them.
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Characterizing Earth analogs may require a moderate or high-resolution spectrograph
A template-matching simulation framework shows that R>1,000 spectrographs yield higher biosignature sensitivity than R~140 for Earth analogs, because correlated speckle noise can suppress detections at low resolution.
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The First Remotely Detected Biosignature May Not Be the Most Common: Implications for JWST and HWO
Selection effects in JWST transmission spectroscopy and HWO reflected-light imaging may cause the first biosignature detection to arise from an atypical planet rather than a representative Earth analog.
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Impact of Climate States and Seasons on Future Exo-Earth Observations
Climate states on exoplanets with the same atmospheric composition create different reflectance spectra, changing the detectability of atmospheric features and biosignatures, with seasonal variations on high-obliquity worlds adding time-dependent signals.
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Predictive Rankings of the Probability for Temperate Terrestrial Worlds for the HWO ExEP Mission Star List
Simulations using occurrence rates rank HWO ExEP stars by probability of hosting a temperate terrestrial planet or moon, reaching up to 50% for some systems.
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Dynamical Stability and Habitability in the HD 20794 System
N-body simulations demonstrate long-term dynamical stability of the HD 20794 system across a range of inclinations, with planet d identified as the lowest-mass high-eccentricity HZ-crossing planet.
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A Critical UV Legacy: A Hubble Roadmap for HWO Science Readiness
Advocates for a coordinated HST UV spectroscopy program on high-priority HWO targets to constrain stellar radiation environments ahead of direct exoplanet observations.
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NASA Exoplanet Exploration Program (ExEP) Science Gap List
The ExEP Science Gap List identifies 17 areas where current knowledge falls short of requirements for defining and maximizing the science return from future NASA exoplanet missions.