Exotrojan Unicorns: Astronomers Uncover Possible Sibling Planets
Astronomers have detected a debris cloud that could indicate a ‘sibling’ planet sharing the orbit of an existing planet around a distant star, using the…
Exoplanet News
Astronomers Discover Unexpectedly Strong Surface Magnetic Fields in Stars
Researchers from The Ohio State University have discovered unusually strong magnetic fields in some stars, challenging current star evolution models. This potentially impacts the habitability…
Sizzling Secrets of WASP-76b: Unmasking a Hot Jupiter’s Vaporized Rock Atmosphere
Chemistry of so-called ‘hot Jupiter’ provides new insights into the formation of our Solar System. Astronomers using the Gemini North telescope, one half of the…
Astronomical Boost: Chances of Finding Water on Alien Worlds Increased by x100
New research presented at the Goldschmidt geochemistry conference suggests a significantly higher likelihood of finding Earth-like exoplanets with liquid water, essential for life, than previously…
Shiny Surprise: Cheops Discovers Scorching Hot Exoplanet Acting Like a Mirror
ESA’s Cheops mission has found LTT9779 b, the shiniest known exoplanet with an 80% reflectivity due to its metallic clouds. This ultra-hot Neptune is a…
Fireball Forensics: Astronomers Scrutinize a Strange Scorching-Hot Exoplanet
A study has identified 11 chemical elements in the atmosphere of the extremely hot exoplanet WASP-76 b. The findings suggest the planet’s overall composition reflects…
“Super-Earth” May Reveal Secrets About the Edge of Habitability
How close can a rocky planet be to a star, and still sustain water and life? A recently discovered exoplanet may be key to solving…
Cosmic Houdini: Scientists Baffled by Mysterious Planet That Should Have Been Destroyed by Its Star
8 Ursae Minoris b, a giant planet, surprisingly survives despite its host star’s expansion that should have engulfed it. Scientists suggest either a binary star…
Unexpected Chemical Detectives: ALMA’s Surprise Discovery Aids Protoplanet Search
Using the ALMA observatory, scientists studying the protoplanetary disk around young star HD 169142 have discovered strong chemical evidence of a protoplanet, offering a new…
Cosmic Sandwiches: A New Explanation for Planet Formation
Scientists from the University of Warwick propose a new method of planet formation, known as “sandwiched planet formation,” where a smaller planet forms between two…
New Era of Exoplanet Discovery: Direct Imaging of “Jupiter’s Younger Sibling”
Scientists have used a technique called astrometry to directly image one of the lowest-mass planets, AF Lep b, orbiting a young Sun-like star. This method…
Life After Death: Astronomers Discover a Mysterious Planet That Shouldn’t Exist
Astronomers from the University of Hawaii Institute for Astronomy have discovered a planet that survived what should have been a catastrophic event caused by its…
Birth of a New World: Astronomers Confirm Protoplanet 374 Light Years From Earth
Located 374 light years away from Earth, HD169142 b has been confirmed as a protoplanet by a team of researchers from the University of Liège…
Zircons Unlock Earth’s Early History: Life Sprung From a “Stagnant Lid,” Not Plate Tectonics
A study from the University of Rochester, using zircon crystals, found that plate tectonics was inactive during the period when life first appeared on Earth….
Astronomers Discover the Last Three Planets NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope Observed Before Going Dark
In its final days of operation in 2018, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope potentially discovered its last planets. Scientists from MIT and the University of Wisconsin…
Coolest Rocky Exoplanet Ever: James Webb Reveals Surprising Atmosphere of TRAPPIST-1 C
Infrared measurements of TRAPPIST-1 c indicate that it is probably not as Venus-like as once imagined. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has successfully measured the…
New Research Challenges Longstanding Beliefs About the Isolation of “Hot Jupiters”
A study spearheaded by an astronomer from Indiana University presents a challenge to the established ideas about the solitary nature of “hot Jupiters,” proposing a…
Not Science Fiction: Planet Orbiting 2 Stars Discovered Using New Technique
It is only the second such system found with 2 planets. An international team of astronomers is the first to apply an old technique to…