Carl Sagan Institute

"This object was discovered in 2013 using one of humanity's greatest successes, our understanding of gravity...through the method of gravitational microlensing." Jack Madden (@Astro_Madden) #COSMOSCSI #CSIExoplanets 3/6

"With a mass smaller than Earth it is very likely to be rocky but the surface temperatures could be as low as -230C & the day side would never get much brighter than standing under a street lamp on a dark night here on Earth." Jack Madden #COSMOSCSI #CSIExoplanets 4/6

"The life journey of this planet (OGLE-2013-BLG-0723LBb) might also be very interesting." Jack Madden (@Astro_Madden) #COSMOSCSI #CSIExoplanets 5/6

Jack Madden is a 6th year Ph.D. student in the Department of Astronomy at @Cornell working with Dr. @KalteneggerLisa on modeling the climates of potentially habitable exoplanets. To learn more: http://hosting.astro.cornell.edu/~jmadden/  #COSMOSCSI #CSIExoplanets 6/6

“As a microbiologist I have come to realize that life always finds a way. Our very own Pale Blue Dot is home to a wide range of extreme, hostile environments wherein we generally would not think life to be possible. ” Dr. Azul Pinochet-Barros (@AzulPinoba) #CSIExoplanets 2/7

“Europa (with its active, liquid water subsurface ocean) and Titan (a dense [atmosphere] and ice world with surprising Earth-like features) have extreme environments that are literally beyond this world.” Dr. Azul Pinochet-Barros (@AzulPinoba) #CSIExoplanets 3/7

“However, within these hostile conditions, they each possess particular qualities that leave a sliver of hope for their potential to harbor life, or at least the precursors for it.” Dr. Azul Pinochet-Barros (@AzulPinoba) #CSIExoplanets 4/7