Astrobiology Collection (#4)

A rover explores a rocky, barren moon as a large, water covered world rises above the horizon

Artists depiction of the size relationship between Earth and Gliese 1214b
Artists depiction of the size relationship between Earth and GJ 1214b, also known as Gliese 1214b. Discovered in 2009 in the constellation Ophiuchus, some 40 light-years from Earth

Alien flora flourishes in an impact crater on an earth-like planet
Alien flora flourishes in an impact crater filled with liquid water on an earth-like planet. A distant second sun and nearby moon make an ethereal appearance near the horizon

The Sun begins its journey toward becoming a red giant.. The intense heat has already boiled off Earths oceans and driven away most of the atmosphere leaving a lifeless, molten surface

The sun rises over one of a pair of twin planets. Both planets are covered in water and clouds

An artists depiction of the close pass of comet C / 2013 A1 over Mars
An artists depiction of the close pass of comet C/2013 A1 over the Martian landscape. Also known as comet Siding Spring which is the Australian observatory that discovered the object

Artists concept of a young, turbulent Earth
A young Earth is shrouded in turbulent, roiling clouds, while under the shadow of its night side can be seen flashes of lightning and the ruddy glow of volcanoes

A cloudy Jupiter-like planet that orbits very close to its fiery hot star
This artists concept shows a cloudy Jupiter-like planet that orbits very close to its fiery hot star. The Spitzer Space Telescope was recently used to capture spectra, or molecular fingerprints

Quaoar is a large Kuiper Belt Object orbiting beyond Pluto

The extrasolar planet HD 209458 b passing in front of its star

The hottest known planet in the Milky Way, called WASP-12b, is so close to its sunlike
The hottest known planet in the Milky Way galaxy may also be its shortest-lived world. The doomed planet is being eaten by its parent star

Artists concept of extrasolar planet Tau Bootis b over a hypothetical moon
The extrasolar planet Tau Bootis b reigns over the airless, baked and battered terrain of a hypothetical moon. Tau Bootis b orbits very close to Tau Bootis

Artists concept of how Saturn might appear from within a hypothetical ice cave
Artists concept showing how Saturn might appear from within a hypothetical ice cave on the surface of Iapetus. As of yet there is no evidence that such caves exist

Artists concept of jovian planets composed of gas and ice, and the moons around them
Though jovian planets may be composed of gases and ices, the dozens of moons around them may be all the solid ground necessary to spawn intelligent beings

Illustration of a geyser erupting on the surface of Enceladus. Liquid water reaches the surface of Enceladus south pole and drives a massive plume of ice crystals into the sky

An astronaut on a barren planet with moon rising over the horizon
An artists depiction of the view from a rocky and barren alien world. A large cratered moon rises over the airless environment

A heavily cratered moon in orbit around a water covered planet
An artists illustration of a heavily cratered moon in orbit around a water covered planet. Wisps of clouds circulate through the atmosphere of the planet

A moon rises over a rocky and barren alien landscape
An artists depiction of the view from a rocky and barren alien world. A moon rises over the airless environment. Elements of this image furnished by NASA

Illustration of a deep crater on the surface of the moon. Water from an encounter with an icy comet has collected in the perpetual shade of a deep crater on the surface of the moon

A view across a hypothetical barren alien planet towards a brown dwarf in the sky
View from a small, barren hypothetical planet orbiting obliquely to the plane of massive dust rings surrounding a brown dwarf of about 60 Jupiter masses

A panorama of the strange, mesa-like mountains on Io

The surface of Pluto with Charon in the sky

Volcanic activity on Jupiters moon Io, with the planet Jupiter visible on the horizon
Io is the innermost of the Galilean moons orbiting Jupiter. Io is on average around 400 000 km away from Jupiter, which is approximately the same distance as our moon is from Earth

A scene on Pluto with Charon, its giant moon

Illustration of the Maxwell Montes mountain range on the planet Venus
Venus Maxwell Montes are among the highest, most precipitous mountain ranges in the solar system

Some galaxies have powerfully active cores that emit jets of energy

Ice at Mercurys North Pole
Even though Mercury is the planet nearest the sun, it may have large amounts of ice at its poles, permanently shaded from the sun

Ice ridges on Jupiters moon, Europa
Ice Ridges on Europa. Jupiters large moon, Europa, is covered by a thick crust of ice above a vast ocean of liquid water. This crust will often pile up in long ridges as floes crash into one another

An Earth-like planet rises over a rocky and barren alien moon
An artists depiction of the view from a rocky and barren alien moon. An Earth-like planet rises over the airless environment

Artists concept of an extraterrestrial planet
An extraterrestrial planet. While the dayside looks hospitable, the nightside reveals a hellish world of molten lava

Artists concept illustrating Kepler-16b, the first directly detected circumbinary planet, which is a planet that orbits two stars

Artists concept of Kepler 22b, an extrasolar planet found to orbit the habitable zone
This artists concept illustrates Kepler-22b, a planet known to comfortably circle in the habitable zone of a sun-like star

Pluto seen from the surface of its moon, Charon

A scorched space capsule lies abandoned on a barren world

Sunset on Epsilon Eridani B5
Epsilon Eridani is a warm system with a sun quite like our own. Astronomers have detected a large jovian planet that may harbor many moons and the potential for life

The Shadow of Charon on Pluto. An idea of how large Charon is compared to Pluto can be seen when its shadow passes across the planet during an eclipse

A planet and its moon are dimly lit by a distant sun
Dimly lit by a distant sun the foreground moon in this far off system receives only enough light energy to show a rocky frozen surface

Artists concept of the atmosphere on Pluto
Despite its small size and extreme distance from the Sun, Pluto does have an atmosphere. The atmosphere arises because there are periods when Pluto is closer to the Sun than Neptune

Explorers examine one of the great fissures from which Enceladus geysers erupt

An astronaut works with his rover while exploring a barren moon. A large water covered world rises above the horizon

A gas-giant planet orbiting very close to its parent star
An artists conception shows a gas-giant planet orbiting very close to its parent star, creating searingly hot conditions on the planets surface

Illustration of the peaks surrounding the Peary crater on Earths moon
The peaks surrounding the Peary crater near the North Pole of Earths moon have been called the Mountains of Eternal Light because the sun never sets on them

Rays of light from a newborn nebula
Rays of light coming from a newborn nebula near a habitable solar system

Humanitys first attempt to establish a large and individual city on another planet. The large space station acts as a customs agent and gate into the world

A scene on a moon of Upsilon Andromeda b, a recently discovered extrasolar planet. It is a super-Jupiter that orbits very close to its star

Zeta Piscium is a binary star system consisting of a red giant and a white dwarf. The latter is drawing in material from its companion

A distant star illuminates an extrasolar planet on the horizon of a frozen moon
Lit by a distant, fading star this extrasolar planet seen through the misty horizon of this frozen moon is slowly cooling and begining to lose its atmosphere into the cold reaches of space

Mars Valles Marineris is host to the largest canyons in the Solar System. The canyons are as long as the United States is wide with some parts five times deeper than the Earths Grand Canyon

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Astrobiology, the captivating field that explores the possibility of life beyond Earth, takes us on a mesmerizing journey through our vast universe. From the gigantic scarp on Uranus' moon, Miranda, to the breathtaking artwork captured by the Kepler Mission space telescope, we are constantly reminded of the wonders that lie beyond our own planet. In one artist's concept, two Saturn-sized planets discovered by Kepler grace our imagination with their majestic presence. Meanwhile, another artwork depicts an astronaut gazing up at Mars' sun as they explore its mysterious terrain – a reminder of humanity's relentless pursuit to uncover extraterrestrial secrets. The cosmos continues to astound us with its enigmatic beauty. A bright star named Rigel is momentarily eclipsed by a moon from a hypothetical planet in one stunning image. And in another artist's rendering, Epsilon Eridani emerges as a possible habitable world where life could thrive. As we venture further into space exploration, we discover celestial marvels closer to home. Orbiting 70 Virginis is a super-Jupiter – an awe-inspiring sight that expands our understanding of planetary diversity. Ice spires adorn Jupiter's large moon Callisto while Ganymede showcases an impact crater alongside its colossal host planet. Astrobiology invites us to ponder profound questions about existence and what lies beyond our familiar blue sphere. It fuels our curiosity and ignites dreams of encountering alien civilizations or witnessing otherworldly landscapes firsthand. Through scientific inquiry and artistic interpretation alike, astrobiology inspires us to embrace both the known and unknown realms of outer space. As we delve deeper into this captivating field, may it continue to ignite wonder within us all and drive humanity towards new frontiers yet unexplored.