Sharjah24: Researcher Ammar Eissa Mohammed, a Master's student in Astronomy and Space Sciences from the College of Sciences at the University of Sharjah (UOS), has successfully defended his thesis titled “Characterization of Exoplanetary Systems in Terms of Habitability and Stability” at the headquarters of the Sharjah Academy for Astronomy, Space Sciences, and Technology (SAASST). The thesis was supervised by Dr Antonios Manousakis, Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Physics and Astronomy, College of Sciences, UoS.
The examining committee included Prof Attaelmanan Gaffar, Professor in the Department of Applied Physics and Astronomy; Prof Mashhoor Al-Wardat, Professor of Astrophysics at UOS and Director of the Academic Affairs Department at SAASST; and Prof Ahmad Abushattal, Associate Professor at Al-Hussein Bin Talal University in Jordan, who served as the external examiner.
The study aimed to rigorously evaluate the potential for stable and habitable exoplanetary orbits within binary star systems by integrating high-precision astrometric, photometric, and spectrophotometric techniques with dynamical modeling. The binary system HD 21841 was comprehensively analyzed using a novel hybrid framework that combines Tokovinin’s orbital fitting with Al-Wardat’s synthetic SED method, alongside Gaia and Hipparcos astrometric data. The study derived high-precision stellar parameters and revised orbital elements, showing remarkable consistency and alignment with independent datasets.
A critically narrow overlap between the system’s conservative habitable zone and the circumbinary orbital stability region was identified, pointing to a unique area where Earth-like planets could potentially exist and remain stable. The thesis demonstrates how binary star systems traditionally viewed as hostile to planetary stability, can in fact, harbor conditions suitable for life. The findings contribute valuable benchmarks for the modeling of exoplanetary systems and establish a scientific precedent for future exploration of habitability in complex stellar environments. By the end of discussion, the committee approved the thesis and awarded the researcher a Master’s degree in Astronomy and Space Sciences.
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