Interstellar Updates

 

These are items of interest to the interstellar exploration community that we’ve found in our quest for information that will help us advance toward our goals.  If you know of anything we’ve overlooked, or any sources of such information we should monitor, or if you would like to be added to our IRG-updates mailing list and receive these updates in you email every weekday, please send that information to info@irg.space.

You can now search our database of interstellar updates and find items of interest to you.

December 8, 2025 Updates

TESS phase curve of ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-189 b
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.05175

Voluntary and Involuntary Technosignatures: Which Are to Be Encountered First
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1990341324600066

Vibrationally excited H2 muting the He i triplet line at 1.08 µm on warm exo-Neptunes
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/pdf/forth/aa58117-25.pdf

Convergent Religion in a Silent Universe: Patternless Noise, Infinite Intelligence, and the Fermi Paradox
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/398247257_Convergent_Religion_in_a_Silent_Universe_Patternless_Noise_Infinite_Intelligence_and_the_Fermi_Paradox

The Existence of Extra Terrestrial Intelligence: The Idea Behind SETI
https://www.academia.edu/19720370/The_Existence_of_Extra_Terrestrial_Intelligence_The_Idea_Behind_SETI

Autonomous Orbit Changing and Out-of-the Orbit to Interstellar Point Maneuvering: A Novel Concept
https://acceleron.org.in/index.php/aaj/article/view/264

Predictions of the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope Galactic Exoplanet Survey. V. Detection Rates of Multiplanetary Systems in High Magnification Microlensing Events
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.05182

Keck Observations in the INfrared of Taurus and ρ Oph Exoplanets And Ultracool dwarfs (KOINTREAU) I: A Planetary-Mass Companion and a Disk-Obscured Stellar Companion Discovered in Taurus
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.05191

Multi-bandpass Photometry for Exoplanet Atmosphere Reconnaissance (MPEAR) with the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) — I. Differentiating Earth from Neptunes During Discovery
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.05279

Exoplanet formation inference using conditional invertible neural networks
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.05751

Most Rocky Sub-Neptunes are Molten: Mapping the Solidification Shoreline for Gas Dwarf Exoplanets
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.05816

Chapter 12 – Space exploration
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/monograph/abs/pii/B9780443289194000143

Simulation of the radiological impact during selected space travel scenarios using the Monte Carlo code FLUKA
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0969806X25010230

A stochastic framework for the dark forest hypothesis: Modeling silence and survival in the cosmos
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S3050517825000814

Chapter 1.3 – Setting the stage: Building and maintaining a habitable world and the early conditions that could favor life’s beginnings on Earth and beyond
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/edited-volume/abs/pii/B9780323955478000033

Non-detection of J1407 b in ALMA Band 7 Observations
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2515-5172/ae2680

Exploring Warm Jupiter Migration Pathways with Eccentricities. II. Correlations with Host Star Properties and Orbital Separation
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ae0e16

December 5, 2025 updates

Antigravity as Vector Gravity: Controlled Inertia and Engine Concept
https://www.scienceopen.com/hosted-document?doi=10.14293/PR2199.002434.v1

SCExAO/CHARIS and Gaia Direct Imaging and Astrometric Discovery of a Superjovian Planet 3–4 λ/D from the Accelerating Star HIP 54515*
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ae1a82

Characterization of debris disks observed with SPHERE
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/12/aa54953-25/aa54953-25.html

The WEAVE-TwiLight-Survey: Expanding WEAVE’s Reach to Bright and Low-Surface-Density Targets with a Novel Observing Mode
https://academic.oup.com/rasti/advance-article/doi/10.1093/rasti/rzaf060/8351077

FALCO: Foundation Model of Astronomical Light Curves for Time Domain Astronomy. Implementation and Applications on Kepler Data
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ae1467

The Future of Human Evolution: Chapter 12 – Space exploration
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/chapter/monograph/abs/pii/B9780443289194000143

Long-term X-ray variability of the multiple-planet host L 98-59: Hints of an activity cycle
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/398357133_Long-term_X-ray_variability_of_the_multiple-planet_host_L_98-59_Hints_of_an_activity_cycle

Resolving the terrestrial planet-forming region of HD 172555 with ALMA: I. Post-impact dust distribution
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.04154

Fractal Aggregate Aerosols in the Virga Cloud Code II: Exploring the Effects of Key Cloud Parameters in Warm Neptune, Hot Jupiter and Brown Dwarf Atmospheres
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.04186

JWST Exoplanetary Worlds and Elemental Survey (JEWELS) I: High-Precision Chemical Abundances of 20 FGK Planet-Hosting Stars from JWST Cycle 2
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.04420

The GAPS programme at TNG LXXI. HD 128717 B/Gaia-6 B: a long-period eccentric low-mass brown dwarf from astrometry and radial velocities
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.04606

Oxygen Isotope Constraints on the Importance of Photochemical Processing in Protoplanetary Disks
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.04944

Responsible Discovery in Astrobiology: Lessons from Four Controversial Claims
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.04122

Turbulence and dust fragility in protoplanetary discs
https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.24818

December 04, 2025 updates

A note on the possibility of Comet 3I/ATLAS being a spaceship from an advanced alien civilization
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/398116399_A_note_on_the_possibility_of_Comet_3IATLAS_being_a_spaceship_from_an_advanced_alien_civilization

Interstellar Spacecraft Trajectory Analysis: a First-Principles and Numerical Optimization Approach using Pykep and Pygmo
https://etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/etd/r/1501/10?clear=10&p10_accession_num=dayton1763132394246063

Satellite megaconstellations will threaten space-based astronomy
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09759-5

Voluntary and Involuntary Technosignatures: Which Are to Be Encountered First
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1990341324600066

Estimates of Atmospheric Mass Loss for Two Planets of the Young Solar Analog HD 109833
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1134/S1990341325600437

Eccentric disks as a gateway to giant planet outward migration
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/12/aa57059-25/aa57059-25.html

Detecting Exoplanets beyond the Local Supercluster through Gravitational Waves with B-DECIGO and DECIGO
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae1ef2

Diversity of Low-mass Planet Atmospheres in the C–H–O–N–S–Cl System with Interior Dissolution, Nonideality, and Condensation: Application to TRAPPIST-1e and Sub-Neptunes
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae1479

Capture into Apsidal Resonance and the Decimation of Planets around In-spiraling Binaries
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.03940

Probing for primordial black hole candidates in exoplanet search data
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.03118

December 03, 2025 updates

The discovery of the first Earth cousin and the search for life elsewhere
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s41550-025-02703-7

The discovery of TRAPPIST-1 and the importance of low-mass M-dwarfs
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s41550-025-02712-6

A simplified model for the forced libration of icy moons with subsurface oceans
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10569-025-10268-w

SCExAO/CHARIS and Gaia Direct Imaging and Astrometric Discovery of a Superjovian Planet 3–4 λ/D from the Accelerating Star HIP 54515
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ae1a82

Insights into Planet Formation from the Ages, Masses, and Elemental Abundances of Host Stars
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/ae12a2

JCMT Constraints on the Early-Time HCN and CO Emission and HCN Temporal Evolution of 3I/ATLAS
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.02106

Segmented-Polynomial-fitting Least Squares (SPLS): An optimized algorithm to find Earth twins
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.02356

Quantification of abundance uncertainties in chemical models of exoplanet atmospheres
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.02587

Stellar chemistry and planet size: insights from GALAH DR4
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.02601

Spectropolarimetric characterisation of exoplanet host stars in preparation of the mission II. The magnetised wind environment of TOI-1860, DS Tuc A, and HD 63433
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.02708

December 02, 2025 updates

Independent Cross-Observatory Analysis of 3I-ATLAS (Version 7.1, With Supplemental Methodology Files)
https://zenodo.org/records/17770115

Captain Exoplanet: An Open, Browser-Based Interface for Exoplanet Candidate Classification Using Machine Learning Pipeline
https://zenodo.org/records/17755659

Continuous helium absorption from both the leading and trailing tails of WASP-107 b
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s41550-025-02710-8

The impact of stellar winds and tidal locking effects on the habitability of Earth-like exoplanets around M-dwarf stars
https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/full_html/2025/12/aa56743-25/aa56743-25.html

Accounting for Transit Timing Detectability: Biases in Planetary Radius and Orbital Period
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ae1465

An Hα Transit of HD 189733b to Assess Stellar Activity Across the Transit Chord Close to JWST Observations
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ae169b

A Refined Photometric Constraint for Exoplanet Direct Imaging Yield Estimation and Observation Scheduling
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ae0a1c

The Need for Multiangle BRDF Laboratory Measurements to Model Rocky Exoplanet Surface Reflectance and Emission
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2515-5172/ae2306

First Astrometric Limits on Binary Planets and Exomoons orbiting β Pictoris b
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00160

Outward Migration of a Gas Accreting Planet: A Semi-Analytical Formula
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00304

Analysis of Angular-Differential Post-Processing Algorithms for Exoplanet Direct Detection with a Photonic Lantern Nuller
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00442

Intercepting Interstellar Objects
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00492

A First Order Filter for the Detection of Potentially Habitable Exoplanets
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00899

Machine Learning for Exoplanet Discovery: Validating TESS Candidates and Identifying Planets in the Habitable Zone
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00967

The chemical diversity of giant-planet nurseries as revealed by ALMA
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.01731

Inferring planet occurrence rates from radial velocities
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.01804

A window for water-hydrogen demixing on warm metal-rich sub-Neptunes
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.01805

Giant Outer Transiting Exoplanet Mass (GOTEM) Survey.VII. TOI-6041: a multi-planet system including a warm Neptune exhibiting strong TTVs
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.01911

The Astrometric Resoeccentric Degeneracy: Eccentric Single Planets Mimic 2:1 Resonant Planet Pairs in Astrometry
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.02007

Surveys on the Existence of Extraterrestrial Intelligent Life and Effects of Revealing Expert Consensus
https://arxiv.org/abs/2512.00364