Articles tagged with Exoplanets
A new method has been developed to measure the mass of non-transiting planets using carbon monoxide signatures in their atmospheres. This breakthrough technique allows for precise mass determination, opening a new path to study exoplanet properties and potentially detect molecules associated with life.
Researchers have successfully measured the motion of exoplanet Tau Bootis b, revealing its mass to be six times that of Jupiter. The team used an innovative technique to unravel direct light from the planet itself, overcoming previous attempts to measure its atmosphere.
The KELT telescope has discovered two unusual planets, including a massive, puffed-up planet dubbed KELT-1b that may challenge our understanding of solar system evolution. The other planet, KELT-2Ab, is a Jupiter-like world with a bright star that will allow astronomers to study its atmosphere.
Research suggests hundreds of billions of free-floating, Earth-sized life-bearing planets exist between stars in the Milky Way. These 'missing mass' planets could mix cosmic primordial life on a galaxy-wide scale.
Computer simulations reveal that giant gas planets prefer certain orbits over others, resulting in 'planet pile-ups' and 'planet deserts'. High-energy radiation from baby stars carves gaps in protoplanetary disks, corralling planets into specific orbits.
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory found a phase change in molten magnesium silicate that transforms to a more dense liquid with increasing pressure. This discovery provides insight into planet formation and suggests that extra-solar 'Super-Earth' planets may have different structures than Earth.
Two new planets, Kepler-34 and Kepler-35, have been discovered orbiting binary suns in the Cygnus constellation. The discovery indicates that planets can revolve around double stars, challenging our understanding of solar systems.
A recent study found that a large fraction of planets have orbital distances between 0.5 and 10 sun-Earth distances, challenging the previous assumption that most extrasolar planets were gas giants closer to their stars.
Astronomers at Vanderbilt University and Caltech discovered three smallest planets yet orbiting a distant star, KOI-961, connected to Barnard's star. The planets range in size from Mars to three-quarters the size of Earth, with short orbits making liquid water impossible.
The Habitable Exoplanets Catalog ranks planets according to various habitability indices, such as the Earth Similarity Index and Habitable Zones Distance. The catalog lists 15 exoplanets and 30 exomoons as potential habitable candidates, with only two confirmed exoplanets matching the criteria so far.
A new system for classifying exoplanets could catalogue newly discovered worlds with potential for life. The methodology uses two indices to describe a planet's Earth-like features and chemical/physical parameters conducive to life.
Researchers have achieved a record pressure of 50 megabars in a diamond experiment at the National Ignition Facility, replicating conditions believed to exist in super-Earths. The use of ramp-compression technique allowed for higher pressures than standard near-instantaneous shock-physics experiments.
Researchers have found visual evidence for two extrasolar planets in archival Hubble data from 1998, using a novel approach to detect faint planet signals. The discovery allows for the tracking of planetary orbits and provides insight into system stability, mass, and eccentricity.
Astronomers have detected stardust in debris discs of extra-solar planetary systems, providing insights into the planet formation process. The Jena research team found two systems with transiting planets, using photometric analysis to identify irregularities in the infrared range.
A University of Toronto-led team has observed extreme brightness changes on a nearby brown dwarf, suggesting the presence of a gigantic storm. The researchers used an infrared camera to capture repeated images of the brown dwarf over several hours, revealing the largest variations in brightness ever seen.
TrES-2b's extremely dark surface is attributed to its high temperature and the presence of light-absorbing chemicals. The planet emits a faint red glow due to its heat, revealing it's not pitch black despite its low reflectivity.
The EPOXI mission discovered that Hartley 2's strong activity in water release and carbon dioxide-powered jets occurred mainly at the ends of the comet, with most occurring at the small end. The study suggests that material in the waist region is likely redeposited material from the ends.
Researchers have discovered that some extrasolar planets, known as hot Jupiters, can orbit in the opposite direction of their star's spin. This occurs due to gravitational interactions with nearby planets, which perturb the inner planet's orbit and cause it to lose energy via strong tides.
Astronomers at Northwestern University have developed a computer simulation that explains how hot Jupiters form with flipped orbits around their stars. The study, published in Nature, suggests that gravitational perturbations from other planets in the system can cause the inner planet to lose energy and orbit closer to its star.
At the AAAS annual meeting, NASA researchers presented several key findings, including a new tool to manage protected areas using remote-sensing data from satellites and aircraft. Scientists also discussed the impact of regional nuclear war on global climate and presented discoveries in zero-gravity environments. Additionally, research...
The discovery of the fourth giant planet in the HR 8799 system strengthens the resemblance between this exoplanetary system and our own, with all four planets being similar in size. Detailed study of HR 8799e will be challenging due to its relative faintness and proximity to its star.
Researchers discovered a carbon-rich atmosphere in WASP-12b, suggesting rocky exoplanets could be composed of pure carbon rocks like diamond or graphite. This finding introduces an entirely new class of exotic exoplanets to explore, with implications for the possibility of life on these planets.
The newly discovered fourth planet (HR 8799e) orbits a bright star called HR 8799, which lies some 129 light years from Earth and is faintly visible to the naked eye. The mass of the HR 8799 planetary system is much greater than our own.
The UMD-led EPOXI spacecraft flew by comet Hartley 2 at a distance of 435 miles, collecting never-before-seen images that will help scientists understand the composition and diversity of comets. The mission aims to learn more about the origin and history of our solar system by studying the material from comets.
Using new optics technology developed at the University of Arizona's Steward Observatory, astronomers have obtained images of a planet on a closer orbit around its parent star than any other extrasolar planet previously found. The discovery enables scientists to search for planets closer to the star than has been previously possible.
Astronomer Joel Kastner finds evidence that a variable star in the Pisces constellation is a one billion-year-old red giant that has swallowed a companion star, forming an orbiting disk that may contain second-generation planets. The star's extreme properties and X-ray production rate point to its advanced age.
Rochester Institute of Technology scientist Don Figer is developing a new detector technology that can directly image and characterize exoplanets, potentially finding smaller, rocky planets like Earth. This technology could reduce detection time by one-third and overcome current limitations.
The discovery of exoplanet Beta Pictoris b, located 60 light-years from Earth, confirms that giant planets can form in time-spans as short as a few million years. The planet has a massive nine-Jupiter-mass orbit, challenging previous theories on planetary formation.
Astronomers discover six exoplanets orbiting their stars in the opposite direction to the star's rotation, contradicting conventional wisdom. This finding sparks alternative migration theories, suggesting that hot Jupiters may form far from their stars and migrate inward due to gravitational interactions with distant companions.
Astronomers have discovered a temperate exoplanet, Corot-9b, with a mass about 80% that of Jupiter and an orbit similar to Mercury's. The planet is thought to have a temperature range of -20°C to 160°C, making it a significant finding in the study of exoplanets.
An international team of scientists has discovered a new planet called CoRoT-9b, similar in size to Jupiter. Located 1500 light-years from Earth, the planet orbits a star similar to our sun and is considered temperate.
The University of California, Berkeley team's paper published in Science won the 2009 Newcomb Cleveland Prize for outstanding contributions to the field. The award recognizes the first visible-light picture of an extrasolar planet and its potential to change our view of how planets originate.
Drake Deming, a Senior Scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center, has won the prestigious Beatrice M. Tinsley Prize for his pioneering work detecting thermal infrared emission from transiting extrasolar planets using the Spitzer Space Telescope. The prize recognizes Deming's outstanding research contribution to astronomy and astr...
Astronomers from Caltech and other institutions have detected an extrasolar planet, HD 156668b, with a mass just four times that of Earth. The discovery highlights the potential for finding Earth-mass planets in the habitable zone, making it a promising lead in the search for life beyond our solar system.
The NASA Deep Impact spacecraft has captured videos of sun glints from space, indicating the presence of large bodies of water on Earth. The observations provide a way to detect planets beyond our solar system that are likely to have expanses of liquid, increasing the chances of finding life.
Astronomers found that only 10 percent of stars host planetary systems similar to our own, with several gas giant planets in the outer part of the system. The discovery was made using gravitational microlensing and is based on 10 years' worth of data from the MicroFUN survey.
Astronomers have directly imaged a faint celestial body orbiting the star GJ 758, estimated to be between 10 and 40 Jupiter masses. The discovered planet, GJ 758 B, has a temperature of around 330 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest companion of a Sun-like star ever imaged.
An international team of scientists has made the first direct observation of a planet-like object orbiting a star similar to the sun. The object, GJ 758 B, is estimated to be 10-40 times as massive as Jupiter and orbits its star at a distance of approximately 300 trillion miles.
The study uses radio telescope images to confirm the presence of a rotating molecular disk orbiting the young binary star system V4046 Sagittarii. The discovery expands the number of places to look for extrasolar planets, suggesting that planet formation may occur around double stars as easily as single stars.
A NASA/University team developed a method to indicate the presence of oceans on extrasolar Earth-like worlds by analyzing how Earth's light changes as it rotates. The technique relies on observing blue color changes caused by oceans, which appear bluer than continents.
Astronomers have devised a technique to identify liquid water on exoplanets similar to Earth, which could indicate potential for life. The method uses observations of light intensity from Earth in visible light bands, revealing dominant colors that suggest land masses and oceans.
Astronomers have found evidence of planet destruction caused by a star's tides, with some planets falling into their parent stars. The research uses computer models and observations to show that the tidal forces can misshape the star's surface, leading to the planet's demise.
Astronomers are getting closer to finding an Earth-sized planet in an Earth-like orbit, but detecting its atmosphere will require hundreds of transits and advanced telescopes like JWST. Red dwarf stars offer the best possibility of detecting biomarkers in a transiting Earth's atmosphere.
Scientists will discuss new techniques to understand planetary formation, habitability, and potential for life. Experts will share insights on the probability of finding Earth-like planets within a few dozen light years of the sun.
The European team discovered the smallest transiting extrasolar planet, CoRoT-Exo-7b, orbiting a star slightly smaller than the Sun. The planet's radius is about twice that of Earth and orbits its host star in just 20 hours.
Scientists have observed a spectacular heating of the planet HD8606b, where global warming reached 1,500 degrees Kelvin in just six hours. The planet's extremely eccentric orbit and proximity to its star led to this extreme temperature increase, providing valuable insights into its atmospheric properties.
Two independent groups successfully detected the thermal emissions of exoplanets OGLE-TR-56b and TrES-3b using ground-based telescopes. The detections are significant because they will continue to study hot Jupiters beyond the capabilities of the soon-to-be-retired Spitzer telescope.
The discovery reveals the planet's massive size and potential for a vast ring system. The images taken with Hubble Space Telescope provide direct proof of the planet's existence and orbit around star Fomalhaut.
The study reveals that the formation of planetary systems was full of violence and drama, but our solar system required conditions to be just right. The researchers ran over 100 simulations, showing that an average planetary system's origin was dramatic, with planets being flung into space or crowded together.
A team of European astronomers has discovered a triple system of super-Earths around the star HD 40307 using the HARPS instrument. The planets have masses between 4.2 and 9.4 times that of Earth, and orbit the star with periods ranging from 4.3 to 20.4 days.
A team of astronomers led by David Bennett discovered a planet with a mass about three times that of Earth, orbiting a star with a mass 6% of the sun's, potentially hosting conditions suitable for life. The discovery was made using the gravitational microlensing method and confirms predictions made in 1996.
An international team of astronomers has found 10 new 'extra solar' planets using a robotic camera technique that will revolutionize scientific understanding of how planets form. The newly discovered planets have masses between half the size of Jupiter to eight times its size, including exotic worlds with extremely close orbits.
Researchers have discovered a multi-planet system with two large planets similar to Jupiter and Saturn, suggesting that planetary systems like our own may be common in the Milky Way galaxy. This is the first discovery of its kind, using a new gravitational microlensing technique.
An international team of astronomers has successfully detected and monitored the polarized light scattered in an exoplanet's atmosphere for the first time. The study reveals that the exoplanet, HD189733b, has a swollen atmosphere with particles scattering blue light, similar to Earth's atmosphere.
The EPOXI mission will use the Deep Impact spacecraft to search for Earth-sized planets around five stars and conduct an extended flyby of Comet Hartley 2, studying its surface and composition. This new mission aims to better understand how solar systems form and evolve.
A team of scientists from MIT, NASA, and Carnegie Institution created models for 14 different types of solid planets that might exist in our galaxy. The models predict a planet's diameter for a given composition and mass, revealing surprising similarities in how gravity compresses planets of varying materials.
TrES-4 is the largest known exoplanet, about 70% bigger than Jupiter but less massive, making it a planet of extremely low density. It orbits its host star in three and a half days and is very hot due to its close proximity.
Astronomers used powerful telescopes to detect giant Jupiter-like planets in the outer regions of nearby solar systems, but found none beyond 5 astronomical units from their stars. The survey, which was conducted over three years, aimed to determine what the average planetary system looks like and whether ours is typical.
Researchers at UCL have detected water vapor in the atmosphere of an extrasolar planet, HD 189733b. The discovery was made using NASA's Spitzer telescope and confirms that water might be more common than previously thought outside our Solar System.
Researchers are studying various biosignatures to infer the composition of extrasolar planet atmospheres. They explore theories about what other worlds might be like, including different types of pigments for photosynthesis. One key clue is disequilibrium, where simultaneous presence of contradictory substances could indicate life.