Astronomers discovered jets of material ejected by still-forming young brown dwarfs, confirming they form through a scaled-down version of star formation. The presence of these jets was detected by the VLA and confirmed with Spitzer and Herschel space telescopes.
A Brazilian-led team has discovered a planet with a mass similar to Jupiter's, orbiting a Sun-like star at almost the same distance. The planet's host, HIP 11915, is also similar in mass and age to our Sun, with a composition that hints at possible rocky planets.
A new study has precisely measured the ages of 33 Kepler stars with solar-like oscillations, revealing that even stars older than 11 billion years have Earth-like planets. The research uses asteroseismology to analyze tiny variations in starlight and provides a large sample for studying galactic archeology.
Astronomers have discovered a massive cloud of hydrogen, dubbed 'The Behemoth,' evaporating from a warm Neptune-sized planet orbiting a nearby star. The phenomenon may help explain the existence of Hot Super-Earths and provide insights into how planets lose their outer layers.
A team of scientists has discovered a massive cloud of hydrogen escaping from the atmosphere of GJ436b, a Neptune-sized exoplanet located 33 light years away. This phenomenon may help explain the formation of hot and rocky 'super-earths' and potentially detect extrasolar oceans.
A team of researchers has discovered that the presence of salty impurities in ice can push the formation of electrically conducting ice to occur at higher pressures, potentially explaining the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune. This finding challenges current assumptions about the physics of icy planetary bodies.
Researchers developed computer models to examine how ultraviolet radiation from nearby suns affects Earth-like planets' biological intricacies. The models simulate four epochs of Earth's history, revealing the impact of UV radiation on the origin of life.
A team of astronomers found that 74 Earth-sized exoplanets orbit their stars in circular patterns, contrary to expectations. This discovery suggests that small planets may maintain stable climates year-round, making them more hospitable to life.
Researchers discovered daily weather cycles on six exoplanets, with cloudy mornings and hot afternoons, using sensitive Kepler observations. The study found that winds transport clouds to the day side, heating them up and dissipating them, resulting in clear skies during the afternoon.
A team of researchers from Arizona State University found that Tau Ceti, a popular candidate for supporting life, is unlikely to have planets in the habitable zone. The star's high magnesium-to-silicon ratio could lead to unique planetary compositions and potentially habitable worlds with different geological processes.
The LEECH exoplanets survey has obtained new images of HR 8799, a 30-million-year-old star with four known giant planets. The team found that the system likely consists of multiple double resonances, indicating gravitational interactions between the planets.
A NASA study found that small solar eruptions, like a slow-moving CME, can cause significant atmospheric loss in planets without magnetic shields. This research has implications for understanding habitability and the potential effects of solar storms on other planets.
The study explains why our solar system has a gap between Mercury and the outer planets. Jupiter's inward migration destroyed any newly-formed super-Earths, leaving behind rocky inner planets like Earth with thinner atmospheres.
Researchers propose that a second generation of planets, including super-Earths, existed in the inner solar system before being destroyed by Jupiter's massive migration. This scenario helps explain why Earth and other terrestrial planets have relatively low masses compared to exoplanets orbiting other sun-like stars.
Researchers used the Titius-Bode law to calculate planetary positions and found billions of stars with 1-3 planets in their habitable zone. This suggests that a significant number of these planets could have liquid water and support life.
A team of international scientists has created a colorful catalog of reflection signatures from various Earth life forms to aid in the search for extraterrestrial life. The database features 137 diverse life forms, including extremophiles from extreme environments, which can help astronomers spot potential biosignatures on exoplanets.
Researchers from Queen Mary University of London and University of Hertfordshire re-evaluate data and find signal of GJ 581d to be real. The method used in the initial study was inadequate for detecting small planets, leading to a possible misidentification.
Researchers found that iron vaporizes at lower impact speeds than previously thought, leading to a shift in understanding of Earth's core formation process. This change affects estimates of the timing of Earth's core formation, with new information suggesting a more rapid process.
Researchers found standard stars have about two habitable environments where liquid water can exist, providing conditions for life. However, the existence of intelligent civilizations remains uncertain due to unknown bottlenecks or self-destruction.
Astronomers found that tidal forces and atmospheric escape can transform mini-Neptune-like worlds into gas-free, potentially habitable planets. This process could provide a pathway to the formation of habitable worlds around M dwarf stars.
Astronomers have discovered a star that is 11.2 billion years old and has at least five Earth-size planets, revealing that planetary formation occurred throughout the universe's history. The system, Kepler-444, consists of five planets with sizes between Mercury and Venus, orbiting a smaller star than our sun.
An international team of astronomers has discovered a Sun-like star with orbiting Earth-sized planets dating back to the dawn of the Galaxy. The discovery, Kepler-444, hosts five small planets smaller than Mercury and Venus.
Researchers use laser-driven compression to study extreme conditions inside planets, revealing properties of silica that determine planet formation and evolution. The findings suggest large rocky planets may have long-lived oceans at depth and could explain the existence of planets like Neptune and Uranus.
Astronomers have discovered a star with three planets only slightly larger than Earth, one of which orbits in the habitable zone where surface temperatures could be moderate enough for liquid water and life to exist. The study found that these planets are about 2.1, 1.7, and 1.5 times the size of Earth.
A study suggests that exoplanets are more likely to have liquid water and be habitable due to their rotation speed, which can create a day-night cycle. This finding challenges the traditional assumption that all exoplanets exhibit synchronous rotation, potentially increasing their ability to develop life.
Researchers propose that gravitational forces alter ETNO orbits, indicating the presence of unseen planets. Calculations reveal a possible second planet with characteristics diverging from current theories on solar system formation.
Research suggests asteroid material originated from impacts between embryo planets, resolving long-standing mystery of chondrule formation. Chondrules are abundant in meteorites and similar to spherules formed by impact on Earth and moon.
The University of Warwick's Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) aims to detect small planets from Neptune size down to twice the size of Earth. Researchers hope to study the atmospheres and composition of these super-Earths, which are thought to be common around other stars.
The Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) has produced high-quality exoplanet images and spectra from its first year of science operations. The instrument's advanced imaging capabilities have revealed significant differences in the colors of two planets in the HR 8799 system, suggesting unique atmospheric compositions.
Astronomers discovered eight new planets in the habitable zone of their stars, doubling the number of small planets believed to exist. Two of these, Kepler-438b and Kepler-442b, are the most Earth-like known exoplanets, with a high probability of being rocky and having liquid water on their surface.
Research suggests that super-Earths can maintain oceans for at least 10 billion years due to a planet-wide recycling process. This finding implies that older super-Earths are more suitable for searching for complex life.
Planets close to low-mass stars may have formed with water and atmospheres burned away, reducing habitability. These 'Mirage Earths' could resemble Earth from afar but lack essential components for life.
A team of astronomers successfully measured the passing of a super-Earth in front of a nearby Sun-like star using a ground-based telescope. The detection bodes well for characterizing dozens of super-Earths revealed by upcoming surveys.
Astronomers have successfully detected a super-Earth's transit using a ground-based telescope, marking the first time this has been done. The transit occurred in front of a bright Sun-like star and demonstrates that small planets can be characterized with existing facilities.
Researchers have discovered two young stars with analogues to our solar system's asteroid and Kuiper belts, surrounded by a large dust halo. These findings suggest a common model for planetary formation and evolution, providing insight into the early stages of star formation and planet creation.
The European satellite Gaia is expected to detect tens of thousands of new planets within its five-year mission, revealing unique details about each planet's properties. The satellite's instruments will also capture the motion, physical characteristics, and distance of roughly 1 billion objects in the Milky Way galaxy.
Researchers use Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes to study super-Earths, discovering that water worlds are possible compositions. The team's analysis reveals that super-Earths could have acquired their mass by pulling in solid material from distant orbits.
Astronomers have discovered a Uranus-like planet 25,000 light-years away, which orbits one star in a binary system. The planet's composition remains unknown due to its immense distance from the star.
Astronomers have detected water vapour and other molecules on HAT-P-11b, the smallest exoplanet known to harbor these compounds. The discovery is significant for its potential implications on understanding the atmospheres of smaller planets.
Researchers have detected water vapor and hydrogen on the exoplanet HAT P-11b, a planet about four times bigger than Earth. This discovery supports astronomers' ideas about planetary formation and suggests that small planets may be rich in heavy elements like oxygen.
Researchers found that hot Jupiters, large gas giants outside our solar system, can make their suns wobble due to gravitational influence. This phenomenon leads to chaotic spin-axis changes in the star, similar to weather and climate patterns.
Researchers developed parameters to distinguish Venus-like planets from Earth-like ones based on distance from stars. The study identified 43 potential Venus-like planets with characteristics like size and orbit, but atmospheric conditions remain unknown.
Astronomers have pinpointed the 'Venus Zone' as a critical area around stars where planets are likely to exhibit unlivable conditions. This definition will help Kepler researchers distinguish between habitable and uninhabitable planets, enabling better understanding of Earth's atmospheric evolution.
Brown dwarf W0855, located just four light-years from our Sun, exhibits frozen clouds of sulfide and water in its atmosphere. This breakthrough finding, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, provides crucial insights into the atmospheric composition of exoplanet candidates.
Researchers found that an outer companion planet's gravitational pull can generate tidal heating, extending the habitable zone and potentially allowing older Earth-sized planets to host life. The study suggests that discovering such planets may lead to finding inner companion worlds, increasing their chance at hosting life.
Astronomers discovered a young binary star system with wildly misaligned planet-forming disks, providing the clearest picture yet of protoplanetary disks around a double star. The system's unique configuration suggests that planets may be influenced by the gravitational pull of a second star, leading to unusual orbits.
Researchers created a model showing how Mercury's core dynamics contribute to its unusual magnetic field, which is three times stronger in the north than south. This finding indicates that planets have multiple ways of generating a magnetic field.
A team of astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope measured water vapour in the atmospheres of three gas giants, finding levels one-tenth to one-thousandth that predicted by standard theory. This discovery raises questions about exoplanet formation and highlights challenges in searching for water on Earth-like planets.
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope found three 'hot Jupiters' with significantly lower than expected water vapor levels, challenging current theories on planet formation and migration. The discovery may require instruments to be designed with higher sensitivity for future space telescopes searching for water in potentially...
Researchers at University of East Anglia have developed a new model that takes into account the impact of oceans on climate, finding they play a vital role in moderating temperatures and habitability. This breakthrough helps answer whether other planets could sustain alien life.
Researchers have experimentally re-created conditions deep inside giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn using the National Ignition Facility. They successfully compressed diamond to unprecedented densities, providing new constraints for dense matter theories and planet evolution models.
Computer modeling by NASA scientists shows that friction could be key to survival for distant Earth-sized planets in dangerous orbits. Some planets may move into safer orbits faster than expected due to tidal stress-induced friction.
Astronomers have discovered an Earth-like planet in a binary star system, expanding the search for habitable planets. The planet orbits one of the stars at almost exactly the same distance from which Earth orbits the sun, but is much colder due to its host star's dimmer light.
Research by Penn State scientists has debunked the existence of two controversial planets around dwarf star Gliese 581, which were believed to be prime targets in the search for extraterrestrial life. The study confirms that signals from the stars' magnetic activity, not the planets themselves, caused the initial findings.
Researchers have created a new spectrum for 'hot' methane that can be used to detect the molecule at temperatures above Earth's, potentially identifying signs of extraterrestrial life. The model has been tested and verified by reproducing the way in which methane absorbs light on failed stars.
Scientists have detected two planets orbiting Kapteyn's star, one of which could support liquid water and potentially harbor life. The discovery was made using HARPS spectrometer data and reveals a third of the mass of the Sun.
Astronomers have discovered two new planets orbiting a nearby ancient star, Kapteyn's Star, which is just 13 light years away from Earth. One planet, Kapteyn b, is thought to be warm enough to support liquid water on its surface, while the second, Kapteyn c, is a more massive super-Earth with uncertain habitability.
Researchers found that planets between 1.7 and 3.9 times the size of Earth are dubbed 'gas dwarfs' with thick atmospheres of hydrogen and helium. The study also revealed that metallicity plays a crucial role in determining planetary composition, with stars hosting gas giants containing about 50% more metals than our Sun.
Two planets in the Kepler-56 system will meet their fate when they are dragged into the star's expanding orbit. The inner planets will be destroyed due to tidal forces and intense heat from the growing star.
Researchers have developed a model to estimate the effect of Earth-like planet ingestion on star chemical composition. By analyzing twin stars with planets, they found significant changes in refractory element abundance, supporting the connection between exoplanets and stellar hosts.