%0 Generic %1 decastro2017feasibility %A de Castro, Ana I. Gomez %A Beitia-Antero, Leire %A Ustamujic, Sabina %D 2017 %K exoplanet mdwarf nearby %T On the feasibility of studying the exospheres of Earth-like exoplanets by Lyman-alpha monitoring. Detectability constraints for nearby M stars %U http://arxiv.org/abs/1704.07443 %X Observations of the Earth's exosphere have unveiled an extended envelope of hydrogen reaching further than 10 Earth radii (R$_E$) composed of atoms orbiting around the Earth. This large envelope increases significantly the opacity of the Earth to Lyman-alpha (Lya) photons coming from the Sun, to the point of making feasible to detect the Earth's transit signature from 1.35 pc with an 8~meter primary mirror space telescope, as we show. In this work, we evaluate the potential detectability of Earth analogues orbiting around nearby M-type stars by monitoring the Lya flux variability. We show that, in spite of the interstellar, heliospheric and astrospheric absorption, transits in M-type stars would be detectable with a 4-8 m class telescope. A 2-m class telescope, such as the World Space Observatory would suffice to detect an Earth-like planet orbiting around Proxima Centauri. Such monitoring program would enable measuring the robustness of planetary atmospheres under heavy space weather conditions like those produced by M-type stars.

@misc{decastro2017feasibility, abstract = {Observations of the Earth's exosphere have unveiled an extended envelope of hydrogen reaching further than 10 Earth radii (R$_E$) composed of atoms orbiting around the Earth. This large envelope increases significantly the opacity of the Earth to Lyman-alpha (Lya) photons coming from the Sun, to the point of making feasible to detect the Earth's transit signature from 1.35 pc with an 8~meter primary mirror space telescope, as we show. In this work, we evaluate the potential detectability of Earth analogues orbiting around nearby M-type stars by monitoring the Lya flux variability. We show that, in spite of the interstellar, heliospheric and astrospheric absorption, transits in M-type stars would be detectable with a 4-8 m class telescope. A 2-m class telescope, such as the World Space Observatory would suffice to detect an Earth-like planet orbiting around Proxima Centauri. Such monitoring program would enable measuring the robustness of planetary atmospheres under heavy space weather conditions like those produced by M-type stars.}, added-at = {2017-04-26T20:23:30.000+0200}, author = {de Castro, Ana I. Gomez and Beitia-Antero, Leire and Ustamujic, Sabina}, biburl = {https://www.bibsonomy.org/bibtex/2adab98a2aff8c99c1743cbb127e1b973/superjenwinters}, description = {On the feasibility of studying the exospheres of Earth-like exoplanets by Lyman-alpha monitoring. Detectability constraints for nearby M stars}, interhash = {a6e54a628bf20fc938beb0157c79b80e}, intrahash = {adab98a2aff8c99c1743cbb127e1b973}, keywords = {exoplanet mdwarf nearby}, note = {cite arxiv:1704.07443Comment: submitted to Experimental Astronomy, 5 figures}, timestamp = {2017-04-26T20:23:30.000+0200}, title = {On the feasibility of studying the exospheres of Earth-like exoplanets by Lyman-alpha monitoring. Detectability constraints for nearby M stars}, url = {http://arxiv.org/abs/1704.07443}, year = 2017 }