Oleg Kotsyurbenko | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Habitability Study of Terrestrial Planets: Application to Venus-like Worlds

The study of planetary habitability beyond Earth remains central and a challenging project in planetary science. Analysis of large volumes of planetary data from space missions such as CoRoT, Kepler, and JWST is directed ultimately at finding a planet similar to Earth, the Earth's twin, and answering the question of potential exo-habitability. The Earth Similarity Index (ESI) is a first step in this quest, ranging from 1 (Earth) to 0 (totally dissimilar to Earth). To identify planets that may be habitable to the extreme forms of life, we introduce the Mars Similarity Index (MSI). However, extreme forms of life have also been hypothesized under specific conditions in the upper atmosphere of Venus, motivating comparative habitability studies beyond Earth and Mars. The Venus Similarity Index (VSI), introduced here, is defined as the geometric mean of radius, density, escape velocity, and surface temperature, normalized in Venus units (VU). VSI values range from 0 (complete dissimilarity) to 1 (maximum similarity). The VSI provides a comparative framework for identifying Venus-like planetary environments within exoplanet populations. To explore habitability evolution, we further introduce the Ancient Venus Similarity Index (AVSI) and the Future Earth Similarity Index (FESI) to examine early Venusian conditions relative to ancient Earth and to assess potential future evolutionary pathways for Earth-like planets.

astro-ph.EP↗

arXiv2025

Classification and Nomenclature of Planets in the Mass-Radius Plane

6500+ exoplanets have been detected using various techniques. This prompted the emergence of many recent works on the taxonomy, or classification, of exoplanets. However, there is still no basic, fundamental definition of 'What is a planet?'. IAU has forwarded a definition in 2006, which however, raised more questions than it solved. The first task here is to establish if there are limits on the size/mass of planets. The lower mass limit may be assumed as of Mimas (0.03 EU) - approximately minimum mass required to attain a nearly spherical hydrostatic equilibrium shape. The upper mass limit may be easier - there is a natural lower limit to what constitutes a star: 0.08 SU. But then there are brown dwarfs: IAU has defined brown dwarfs as objects exceeding the deuterium burning limit (~13 JU), and giant exoplanets generally have masses of 0.3 to 60 JU. The resolution requires assembling the basic physical parameters that define planets quantitatively. Mass and radius are the two fundamental properties, and we propose to use a third correlated parameter: the moment of inertia. Based on this, we create the parametric Fundamental Planetary Plane where the two parameters are correlated with the third. The fundamental planetary plane (FPP) with turn-off point diagrams is constructed for visual representation. We propose an alternate potential description of a planet definition as 'A celestial spherical object, bound to a star or unbound, that lies on the fundamental planetary plane, within a mass range between 0.02 EU to 13 JU'. This definition is intended to complement existing taxonomies by providing a quantitative, structure-based criterion applicable to both Solar System planets, exoplanets and free-floating planets. These turn-off point diagrams serve as an alternative to the Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagram, but for planets.

astro-ph.EP↗