Alien Hunter outlines data needed for Habitable Worlds Observatory.

A preprint led by NASA research biologist Niki Parenteau lists data priorities to collect before analyzing Habitable Worlds Observatory observations, highlighting gaps in gas spectroscopy, visible/near-infrared measurements of industrial and surface materials, and more precise stellar composition and age estimates.

Scientists have published a preprint describing what supporting data will be needed to interpret observations from the Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO). The paper, led by NASA research biologist Niki Parenteau, groups the needs into three main categories and explains why each matters for spotting possible biosignatures. The authors note that many of these measurements can be done before HWO’s planned launch in the 2040s. They also point out that interpretation work will continue after the telescope begins collecting data. What the paper identifies: - Many potentially interesting gases lack measured spectroscopic parameters and abundance thresholds, including classes like methyl halides and organosulfurs, which makes it hard to know when HWO could detect them. - There is a shortage of visible and near-infrared laboratory data for industrial-waste or terraforming molecules (the article cites chlorofluorocarbons as an example) and uncertainty about how common gases such as methane and acetylene behave in non‑Earth atmospheres. - Stellar properties need more precise measurements: iron, magnesium, silicon, and oxygen should be constrained to about 10% to infer rocky-planet interiors, and assessing the availability of CHNOPS elements (carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur) is important for evaluating habitability. - Accurate stellar ages and photochemical signatures are important for estimating how long a system has had to develop life and for understanding stellar composition from distance. - More than half of the Sun-like worlds on HWO’s current target list are in multi-star systems, and the paper notes limited understanding of planet formation and habitability in these complex gravitational environments. - Building a large database of surface reflectance spectra, including pigments, minerals, and organisms, is recommended to help distinguish biological signals from mineral or pigment look-alikes (the article mentions cinnabar as one possible mimic of vegetation’s "red edge"). Summary: The paper outlines specific laboratory measurements, spectral libraries, and improved stellar observations that would support interpretation of HWO data and reduce ambiguous detections. The authors present this groundwork as preparatory work to be done ahead of HWO’s expected launch in the 2040s, and they indicate that analysis and clarification of ambiguous results will continue after the telescope begins operations.