Habitable Worlds Observatory at the 2024 American Geophysical Union (AGU) Meeting

The 2024 American Geophysical Union (AGU) meeting will include a variety of events focused on the Habitable Worlds Observatory.

P24A - Atmospheres, Climate, and Potential Habitability of Rocky Exoplanets III

Tuesday, December 10
4:00 to 5:30 p.m. (ET)
Liberty N-P (Marriott Marquis)

Exoplanet discoveries of the past decade have shown that every star hosts at least 0.1-1 roughly Earth-sized, or rocky, planets. Our galaxy therefore contains billions of rocky worlds, vastly outnumbering the four rocky planets of our own Solar System. What are these worlds like? This session will focus on future characterization of rocky and/or habitable planets.

This session invites submissions that probe the nature of rocky exoplanets, including: What can our Solar System teach us about rocky exoplanets? How different are atmospheres and climates on rocky planets around other stars, on rocky planets in exotic orbital states, or on rocky planets with radically different formation histories? How can we characterize such planets via observations? And could the processes that kept Earth habitable over billions of years also occur elsewhere?

The Habitable Worlds Observatory Hyperwall Presentation

Tuesday, December 10 
5:30 to 5:45 p.m. (ET)
NASA booth #719

HWO Staff and Subject Matter Experts Available

Wednesday, December 11
10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (ET)
NASA booth #719

TH35G - Planetary Science Opportunities with Habitable Worlds Observatory 

Wednesday, December 11
6:00 to 7:00 p.m. (ET)
Salon B (Convention Center)

This Town Hall engages the planetary science community on ways to get involved with the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), the flagship space telescope concept recommended by the Astro2020 Decadal Survey that would perform transformational science at scales ranging from our Solar System to the distant universe. HWO is planned to obtain direct imaging and spectroscopy of hundreds of planets, including dozens of potentially Earth-like worlds to search for atmospheric biosignatures and constrain the frequency of global biospheres. Similar to other astrophysics flagships, such as Hubble and JWST, HWO could remotely monitor planets, moons, and small bodies in our Solar System—with near-flyby quality observations possible out to the Jupiter system including targets such as Venus, Mars, and Ceres. With its ability to conduct regular-cadence, long-term monitoring as well as single-visit measurements at flexible cadence, HWO could place in situ observations from missions such as Europa Clipper and Dragonfly into the broader context of the target’s environment and evolution. At this Town Hall, HWO team members will present mission status updates, share avenues for planetary scientists to get involved in the community working groups currently developing science cases to inform mission concept exploration, and open the floor for discussion and feedback.

P43C - Planetary Science and Astrobiology with the Habitable Worlds Observatory I Poster Session 

Thursday, December 12
1:40 to 5:30 p.m. (ET)
Hall B-C (Poster Hall) (Convention Center)

Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is a NASA mission concept currently under development that responds to the Astro2020 Decadal Survey's prioritization of a large, space-based, ultraviolet/optical/near-infrared-capable telescope capable of directly imaging Earth-like exoplanets around nearby Sun-like stars. Importantly, HWO will also have a science scope that can address elements of the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey through its imaging and spectroscopy of solar system worlds. This Great Observatory will revolutionize our understanding of habitability, search for signs of life elsewhere, and study planetary system formation/evolution in our solar system and beyond. This session invites presentations focused on the major science questions that could be answered with HWO. Key topical areas will include characterizing exoplanetary atmospheres, potential biospheres, and surface environments through direct imaging and transits; solar system science; understanding planetary systems; and exoplanet demographics.

P52A - Planetary Science and Astrobiology with the Habitable Worlds Observatory II 

Friday, December 13
10:20 to 11:50 a.m. (ET)
Liberty M (Marriott Marquis)

Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) is a NASA mission concept currently under development that responds to the Astro2020 Decadal Survey's prioritization of a large, space-based, ultraviolet/optical/near-infrared-capable telescope capable of directly imaging Earth-like exoplanets around nearby Sun-like stars. Importantly, HWO will also have a science scope that can address elements of the Planetary Science and Astrobiology Decadal Survey through its imaging and spectroscopy of solar system worlds. This Great Observatory will revolutionize our understanding of habitability, search for signs of life elsewhere, and study planetary system formation/evolution in our solar system and beyond. This session invites presentations focused on the major science questions that could be answered with HWO. Key topical areas will include characterizing exoplanetary atmospheres, potential biospheres, and surface environments through direct imaging and transits; solar system science; understanding planetary systems; and exoplanet demographics.

AGU24 website