The SuperWASP facility is now operational, generating vast amounts of data to discover thousands of new planets around nearby stars. Data from the facility will lead to exciting progress in areas of astronomy, including the discovery of exoplanets and early detection of variable objects.
Astronomers have discovered the nearest and youngest star with a visible disk of dust that may be a nursery for planets. The dim red dwarf star AU Mic is about half the mass of the sun but only 12 million years old, and its dusty debris disk stretches around 210 astronomical units from the central star.
University of Arizona researchers used Love's equation to calculate tidal deformation in various spheres, discovering that under specific conditions, the shape of a planet could change dramatically. This may have regulated the size of planets, preventing their formation.
A new study published in Icarus reveals that planet formation simulations indicate a high probability of finding Earthlike planets near other stars. The research suggests that the presence and orbits of giant planets like Jupiter can greatly impact the amount of water on terrestrial planets.
New calculations suggest that recycling of material through small moons can lengthen the lifetime of rings and moons. This process, known as cosmic recycling, allows for the re-accretion of fragments into new moons, extending the persistence of ring systems.
Research suggests that planets with high tilt angles may be habitable if they have suitable geography, such as large oceans or continents near the equator. While extreme temperatures would make it difficult for simple life forms to survive, advanced water-dependent life could thrive in these environments.
A new study finds that NASA's Space Interferometry Mission (SIM) can detect habitable planets near significantly more massive stars than the sun. The satellite will use interferometry to measure the position of stars and detect tiny wobbles caused by orbiting planets.
Research by Debra Fischer and Jeff Valenti found a correlation between star metal abundance and planet formation, with metal-rich stars having a 20% chance of harboring planets. The data suggest that a threshold metallicity exists, favoring the formation of planetary systems in stars with higher initial metal content.
A team of British, Australian and American astronomers have discovered a planet similar to Jupiter in orbit around a nearby star, 3.3 times further from its star than Earth is from the Sun. The system's long-term precision allows for the detection of true analogues to our Solar System, advancing the search for systems like our own.
The UCLA Center for Astrobiology will focus on four themes: extrasolar planetary systems, habitability of planets and their satellites, Earth's early environment and life, and evolution of biological complexity. The center aims to detect planets beyond our solar system using new methods and study the factors that control habitability.
Astronomers have discovered seven planet-forming disks, extending up to 100 times larger than previously seen disks, around infant stars in the constellations Orion and Perseus. These discoveries suggest that planets may form at much greater distances from stars, making them easier to detect.
A new study suggests that Jupiter-like planets form quickly, within hundreds of years, rather than over millions. This contradicts the current standard model of planet formation, which proposes a longer time frame for gas giant planet formation.
The Max Planck Institute for Radioastronomy has determined the sizes of four of the largest and most distant minor planets in our solar system. The diameters range between 700 and 1200 km, providing new insights into the Kuiper belt's structure and potential origin of planetary systems.
The discovery of a companion planet to Tau1 Gruis star with a relatively long-period orbit and mass similar to Jupiter sheds new light on the formation of giant planets. Researchers found that most giant planets likely form at Jupiter-like distances from their host stars.
Researchers Katharina Lodders and her team found evidence of complex chemistry in brown dwarf atmospheres, including the formation of liquid iron clouds. The study revealed that as brown dwarfs cool, certain compounds reappear in their atmospheres.
Alexander Wolszczan, discoverer of the first extra-solar planets, has been featured on a Polish postage stamp celebrating the past millennium. His discovery in 1992 using the Arecibo radiotelescope suggested that planets might be plentiful throughout the universe.
The new ACS instrument will provide two times the observational area, resolution, and sensitivity as existing instruments, allowing astronomers to capture more objects in detail at a faster rate. This will enable research to probe deeper into the universe, potentially revealing direct images of planets in nearby solar systems.
Researchers are using computer simulations to determine if the 47 Ursae Majoris system can contain an Earth-like planet. The system's asteroid belt is in the habitable zone, increasing the likelihood of finding a terrestrial planet.
The discovery provides the first evidence that planets at earthlike distances can survive the evolution of their host star into a giant. The planet orbits iota Draconis, an old star with a radius 13 times that of the sun, and has an elliptical orbit that takes 1.5 years to complete.
Researchers John Debes and Steinn Sigurdsson predict unstable planets will collide, creating 'reborn' planets around white dwarfs. This process could create heavy bombardment of material into inner planetary systems, explaining phenomena like dusty white dwarfs and metal-polluted atmospheres.
Researchers used a powerful computing cluster to simulate moon motions over 1 billion years, discovering that the sun's gravity pulls smaller moons from their orbits. The study reveals how giant planets capture and shape the orbits of tiny moons, shedding light on Jupiter's unusual satellite system.
Astronomers detected sodium in the atmosphere of a gas giant exoplanet orbiting a yellow star. The team used Hubble's spectrometer to analyze light passing through the planet's atmosphere, revealing less sodium than expected, which may indicate high-altitude clouds blocking some light.
A study by Princeton University and the Institute for Advanced Study suggests that Earth's varying reflections can provide clues about distant, potentially habitable planets. By analyzing changes in light over time, scientists may gain insights into a planet's weather, oceans, or even plant life.
A team of astronomers has discovered a Jupiter-size planet in a nearly circular orbit around the nearby star 47 Ursae Majoris, located about 51 light years from Earth. The new planet is at least three-fourths the mass of Jupiter and orbits the star at a distance that would place it beyond Mars but within the orbit of Jupiter.
Researchers have discovered 18 planet-like objects drifting free of a central star in the Orion constellation. The objects' cool temperatures suggest they may be planets or brown dwarfs, challenging current theories on planetary formation.
Scientists find five stars with unexplained wobbles, suggesting the presence of a second companion planet. The discovery of three new gas giants adds to the list of 41 known planets outside our solar system, revealing patterns in planetary formation and dynamics.
The Geophysical Fluid Flow Cell experiment simulated Earth's climate, the Sun's atmosphere, and other planets' atmospheres in microgravity. Scientists created models of fluid flows in planetary atmospheres using a nickel-coated steel ball, silicone oil, and artificial gravity.
The solar system's ultimate fate is predicted to be a collapse of the sun into a white dwarf, incinerating the Earth and inner planets in the process. However, a close encounter with a passing star may rescue life by hurling the Earth out of the solar system.
A recent study suggests that planetary systems similar to our own are rare in the galaxy, with less than 45% of stars capable of hosting Jupiter-like planets at specific distances. The study's findings were made possible by a new method developed by graduate student B. Scott Gaudi and his team using gravitational lensing anomalies.
Researchers found that massive planets can trigger the formation of additional planets through violent processes, leading to a different-looking system. The study suggests an upper limit to planetary growth due to unstable conditions, raising questions about the possibility of habitable Earth-like planets in such environments.
Six new planets have been discovered orbiting nearby stars, bringing the total number of known planets outside our solar system to 28. The newly discovered planets are located within the habitable zones of their stars and have temperatures suitable for liquid water to exist in one case.
When a star swallows a planet, it can experience profound effects on its evolution, including changes in spin rate and emission of infrared radiation. The simulations show that large planets can survive for thousands of years before being vaporized by the heat, leaving behind tell-tale signs such as high lithium abundance.
A gamma-ray burst may have melted primordial dust grains, seeding the formation of meteorites and rocky planets like Earth. The theory suggests that only one Sun-like star in a thousand would be close enough to form chondrules.
Detailed studies of 12 stars with Jupiter-mass planets show concentrations of heavy elements two to three times greater than in the sun. The discovery supports the theory that stars born in heavy-element-enriched clouds are more likely to harbor giant planets.
Researchers using Hubble Space Telescope spot large dust particles in rings around three stars, suggesting planets may be forming. The observations reveal a critical early stage in planetary evolution, with the potential for millions of years of dust grain aggregation to form planets.
Recent analysis of Mars data from the Mars Pathfinder Mission suggests that the C1 carbonaceous chondrite standard is incorrect, with Mars exhibiting a distinct elemental composition. This contradicts previous assumptions about the terrestrial planets' formation and density variations.
The Stardust mission, launched in February, will be the first mission since Apollo to return samples of space material to Earth for analysis. The spacecraft will encounter Wild 2, a comet that alters course among the inner planets, and trap small particles from its coma.
A team of astronomers from the University of Florida and Harvard University have discovered a star surrounded by a disk of dust that may be forming planets. The disk, known as HR 4796A, is about 220 light years from Earth and is thought to represent what Earth's solar system looked like in its infancy.
Astrophysicists at MIT propose that newly discovered planets in Jupiter-sized systems underwent violent instability upon formation. This instability can lead to the ejection of one planet and a smaller, eccentric orbit for another, with potential consequences for planetary system evolution and intelligent life.
A new theoretical study reproduces actual observations of the confirmed brown dwarf Gliese 229 B, providing insights into its atmosphere and formation. The research helps accelerate searches for brown dwarfs and giant extrasolar planets, shedding light on their composition and formation processes.