Articles tagged with Exoplanets
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.
Researchers have found a massive exoplanet, XO-3b, which orbits its star in less than four days and is 13 times the mass of Jupiter. The planet's unusual characteristics, including its elliptical orbit and size, raise questions about its classification as a brown dwarf.
The California and Carnegie Planet Search team has reported 28 new exoplanets, increasing the total number of known exoplanets to 236. The new discoveries include seven confirmed brown dwarfs, which are failed stars that can be more massive than Jupiter-sized planets.
The University of Central Florida professor has made a groundbreaking discovery that the hottest known extrasolar planet, HD 149026b, is approaching temperatures of 3,700 degrees. This unprecedented finding indicates that the planet's surface must be incredibly black to absorb all the starlight it receives.
Researchers have mapped weather on a gas giant planet called HD 189733b, discovering supersonic winds that can move at speeds of up to 22,000 mph. The winds are so fast they redistribute heat across the planet's surface, with dayside and nightside temperatures differing by only 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
Researchers used Earth-based light data to identify dominant photosynthesis colors for extrasolar planets, narrowing the range of expected colors. This new approach will guide future space telescope designs to study habitable planets and detect alien life.
Scientists have obtained a spectrum of a planet orbiting another star, revealing the presence of silicate dust in its atmosphere. The discovery was made using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope and represents a significant advance in extrasolar planetary science.
Researchers have directly imaged a faint brown dwarf companion to the star HD 3651, which hosts a planet. The discovery provides valuable information on planetary formation and offers a unique insight into the co-formation of planets and brown dwarfs around the same star.
A team of astronomers has measured the temperature variation across the surface of a giant gas planet, Upsilon Andromeda b, for the first time. The study reveals that the planet's hot side reaches temperatures of 2,550 degrees Fahrenheit, while its dark side is frigid.
Astronomers confirm two exoplanets using ESO's Very Large Telescope and Hubble Space Telescope data. The discoveries provide strong evidence for at least 6 billion Jupiter-sized planets in the Milky Way, including five new ultra-short-period planet types.
Two new planets have been discovered by astronomers, both extremely close to their stars and estimated to be around 3,272 degrees Fahrenheit. The discovery is made possible by the transit method, which detects slight dimming of starlight as planets pass in front of their stars.
Astronomers have discovered a small brown dwarf star orbiting a Sun-like star with a planet, revealing a new class of coldest brown dwarfs called T dwarfs. The team also found another smaller brown dwarf in the same system, which may be the youngest known T dwarf, providing a snapshot of early brown-dwarf development.
The International Astronomical Union has elected Catherine Cesarsky as its new president, effective for the next three years. The IAU will play a key role in promoting astronomy globally, especially during the proposed International Year of Astronomy in 2009.
Researchers have found a nearby star system that could potentially host an Earth-like planet with the right conditions. The modelled system is expected to have a habitable zone where terrestrial planets can form, similar to our own solar system.
Three tiny companions orbiting HD 69830 have been discovered by astronomers using the ESO's HARPS instrument. The newly found planets have minimum masses between 10 and 18 times the mass of Earth, with one located in the habitable zone.
Scientists simulated the cores of giant planets and exoplanets to understand how they formed and evolved. They found that extreme temperatures and pressures lead to the formation of metallic crystals, affecting a planet's magnetic field and surface activity.
Astronomers discover an Earth-like planet with a solid core, orbiting a red dwarf star five times less massive than the sun. The discovery, made using microlensing technique, reveals thousands of potentially habitable planets in distant parts of the galaxy.
Astronomers have discovered the first and only icy exoplanet that matches theoretical predictions for Solar System formation. OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb orbits a small red star at an extremely close distance, with a surface temperature of -220°C, and is likely to resemble Pluto more than rocky planets like Earth.
The discovery of OGLE-2005-BLG-390Lb provides strong evidence that low-mass planets, potentially supporting life, are more common than Jupiter-like gas giants. Researchers hope the gravitational microlensing technique will reveal more habitable worlds in the Milky Way galaxy.
Astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a 600-million-year-old star using the Exoplanet Tracker, a faster and cheaper instrument. The new method allows for more efficient search of distant stars, potentially uncovering planets capable of supporting life.
Researchers create an optical vortex mask that eliminates starlight, allowing for direct observation of nearby planets. The device successfully images Saturn and its rings, paving the way for future exoplanet detection projects like the Terrestrial Planet Finder.
Researchers explain violent origins of extrasolar planetary behavior, citing planet-planet scattering as key factor. The study's findings suggest that strong instabilities led to the formation of highly eccentric orbits in multiple systems.
Researchers have directly measured light from two confirmed extrasolar planets, HD 209458b and TrES-1, using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. The gas giants, similar to Jupiter, orbit close to their stars and radiate strongly in the infrared, with temperatures reaching up to 1,574 degrees Fahrenheit.
Astronomers have discovered the smallest extra-solar planet to date, orbiting a pulsar in a planetary system resembling our own inner solar system. The new planet is estimated to be one-fifth the mass of Pluto and has an orbit approximately six times larger than its third planet.