Spitzer Makes a Case for an Atmosphere on Super-Earth 55 Cancri e
Spitzer reveals that super-Earth 55 Cancri e likely has an atmosphere whose ingredients could be similar to those of Earth’s atmosphere, but thicker. Twice as…
Exoplanet
HARPS Instrument Discovers Earth-Sized World Around Ross 128
Using ESO’s unique planet-hunting HARPS instrument, a team of astronomers has discovered a temperate Earth-sized planet only 11 light-years from the Solar System. The new…
Next Generation Transit Survey Finds its First Planet, NGTS-1b
ESO’s Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) instrument at has found its first exoplanet, a hot Jupiter orbiting an M-dwarf star now named NGTS-1. The planet,…
Hubble Observes Kepler-13Ab, A Planet Where Titanium Oxide Precipitates as Snow
Hubble has discovered a blistering hot planet outside our solar system where it “snows” titanium oxide on the planet’s permanent nighttime side. NASA’s Hubble Space…
Astronomers Model the Effects of Water Loss on Exoplanets
A team of astronomers from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center For Astrophysics has calculated the rates of evaporation of water from ocean planets under a variety of…
New NASA Research Improves the Hunt for Habitable Worlds
New research from NASA scientists is helping to refine our understanding of candidate planets beyond our solar system that might support life. “Using a model…
Giant Exoplanets Are More Likely to be Found Around Young Stars That Have a Disk of Dust and Debris
New Research reveals that giant exoplanets with long-period orbits are more likely to be found around young stars that have a disk of dust and…
ESO Detects Titanium Oxide in Atmosphere of Exoplanet WASP-19b
Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope, a team of astronomers has detected titanium oxide in an exoplanet atmosphere for the first time. The new discovery around…
WASP-121b – An Ultrahot Gas-Giant Exoplanet with a Stratosphere
Using the Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes, astronomers have discovered the first unambiguous signs of a hot stratosphere, heated to a blazing 2400 Celsius, in…
Hubble Telescope Views Blistering Pitch-Black Planet WASP-12b
Twice the size of any planet found in our solar system, WASP-12b has the unique capability to trap at least 94 percent of the visible…
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft Influences Future Exploration
NASA’s Cassini Spacecraft is nearing the end of a long journey rich with scientific and technical accomplishments, and it is having a powerful influence on…
TRAPPIST-1 Exoplanets May Have Liquid Water on Their Surfaces
New research reveals that several of the planets in the TRAPPIST-1 system are at the right distance from their star for liquid water to exist…
Astronomers Believe Earth-Like Planet May Exist in GJ 832 System
In a newly published study, researchers from the University of Texas reveal that an Earth-like planet may be lurking in the GJ 832 star system…
Astronomers Reveal TRAPPIST-1 Planetary System is Older Than Our Solar System
Scientists now have a good estimate for the age of the TRAPPIST-1 system, revealing that it is up to twice as old as our own…
Hubble Detects an Ultrahot Gas-Giant Exoplanet with a Stratosphere
Using Hubble’s capabilities for spectroscopy, scientists have discovered the strongest evidence to date for a stratosphere on a planet outside our solar system. A stratosphere…
Proxima Centauri’s Radiation Would Wipe Out an Earth-Like Atmosphere on Proxima b
New research reveals that Proxima b (an Earth-size planet right outside our solar system in the habitable zone of its star) may not be able…
Astronomers Identify Major Challenges for the Development of Life in TRAPPIST-1 System
Two separate teams of researchers have identified major challenges for the development of life in the TRAPPIST-1 system. The red dwarf star in this system…
Closely Orbiting Stars May Make Planets Appear Smaller
New research reveals that two closely orbiting stars may appear in images as a single point of light, making planets appear less dense than previously…