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Carl Sagan Institute

Coordinates:42°26′55″N76°28′43″W/ 42.448510°N 76.478620°W/42.448510; -76.478620
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Not to be confused withCarl Sagan Center.

TheCarl Sagan Institute: Pale Blue Dot and Beyondwas founded in 2014 atCornell Universityin Ithaca, New York to further the search forhabitable planetsandmoonsin and outside theSolar System.It is focused on the characterization ofexoplanetsand the instruments to search forsigns of lifein theuniverse.[1][2]The founder and current director of the institute is astronomerLisa Kaltenegger.

The institute, inaugurated in 2014 and renamed on 9 May 2015, collaborates with international institutions on fields such asastrophysics,engineering,earth andatmospheric science,geologyandbiologywith the goal of taking an interdisciplinary approach to the search forlife elsewherein the universe and of theorigin of lifeon Earth.[1][3]

Carl Saganwas a faculty member at Cornell University beginning in 1968. He was the David Duncan Professor of Astronomy and Space Sciences and director of the Laboratory for Planetary Studies there until his death in 1996.[1]

Research

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The main goal of the Carl Sagan Institute is to model atmosphericspectral signaturesincludingbiosignaturesof known and hypothetical planets and moons to explore whether they could be habitable and how they could be detected.[4]Their research focuses on exoplanets and moons orbiting in thehabitable zonearound their host stars. The atmospheric characterization of such worlds would allow researchers to potentially detect the first habitable exoplanet.[4]A team member has already produced a "color catalog" that could help scientists look for signs of life on exoplanets.[5]

Bioreflectance spectra catalog

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Team scientists used 137 different microorganism species, includingextremophilesthat were isolated from Earth's most extreme environments, and cataloged how each life form uniquely reflects sunlight in the visible and near-infrared to the short-wavelength infrared (0.35–2.5 μm) portions of theelectromagnetic spectrum.[6]This database of individual 'reflection fingerprints' (spectrum) might be used by astronomers as potential biosignatures to find large colonies of microscopic life on distant exoplanets.[5]A combination of organisms would produce a mixed spectrum, also cataloged, of light bouncing off the planet. The method will also be applied to spot vegetation.[7]The goal of the catalog is to provide astronomers with a baseline comparison to help scientists interpret the data that will come back from telescopes like theNancy Grace Roman Space Telescopeand theEuropean Extremely Large Telescope.[5]

Ultraviolet radiation on life forms could also inducebiofluorescencein visible wavelengths.[8][9]An exoplanet orbiting an M-type star with these life forms would glow when exposed to solar flares, allowing it to be detected by the new generations of space observatories.

Other catalogs and models

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Institute scientists have catalogued the spectral emissions andalbedoof Solar System objects, including all eight planets, nine moons, and two dwarf planets.[10]They have also modeled Earth's atmosphere throughout geological history.[11]Exoplanets with similar conditions to early Earth are considered candidates for emerging life forms.

See also

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References

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  1. ^abcCofield, Calla (9 May 2015)."Institute for Pale Blue Dots Renamed to Honor Carl Sagan, Will Search for Alien Life".Space.Retrieved2015-05-11.
  2. ^"About the Carl Sagan Institute".Retrieved2021-01-18.
  3. ^Glaser, Linda (January 27, 2015)."Introducing: The Carl Sagan Institute".Archived fromthe originalon 2015-02-27.Retrieved2015-05-11.
  4. ^ab"Carl Sagan Institute - Major Research Areas".Retrieved2021-01-18.
  5. ^abcCofield, Calla (30 March 2015)."Catalog of Earth Microbes Could Help Find Alien Life".Space.Retrieved2015-05-11.
  6. ^Hegde, Siddharth; Paulino-Lima, Ivan G.; Kent, Ryan; Kaltenegger, Lisa;Rothschild, Lynn(31 March 2015)."Surface biosignatures of exo-Earths: Remote detection of extraterrestrial life".PNAS.112(13): 3886–3891.Bibcode:2015PNAS..112.3886H.doi:10.1073/pnas.1421237112.PMC4386386.PMID25775594.
  7. ^Cornell University(24 September 2018)."Astronomers use Earth's natural history as guide to spot vegetation on new worlds".Eurekalert!.Retrieved25 September2018.
  8. ^Cornell University(13 August 2019)."Fluorescent glow may reveal hidden life in the cosmos".EurekAlert!.Retrieved13 August2019.
  9. ^"Biofluorescent Worlds – II. Biological fluorescence induced by stellar UV flares, a new temporal biosignature."Jack T. O'Malley-James1 and Lisa Kaltenegger1,Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.Volume 488, Issue 4, October 2019, Pages 4530–4545doi:10.1093/mnras/stz1842
  10. ^Linda B. Glaser(25 July 2018)."Exoplanet detectives create catalog of 'light-fingerprints'".Cornell Chronicle.Archived fromthe originalon 27 January 2021.Retrieved18 January2021.
  11. ^Blaine Friedlander(24 March 2020)."Earth's own evolution used as guide to hunt exoplanets".Cornell Chronicle.Archived fromthe originalon 1 March 2021.Retrieved18 January2021.
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42°26′55″N76°28′43″W/ 42.448510°N 76.478620°W/42.448510; -76.478620

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