Researchers at the Center for Astrophysics have detected a clear presence of a moon-forming region around exoplanet PDS 70c, one of two giant planets orbiting a star nearly 400 light-years away. The disk surrounding PDS 70c has enough mass to form up to three satellites the size of the Moon.
Astronomers using Gemini Observatory and WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope found 73 binary star systems among TESS exoplanet hosts, which could be hiding Earth-sized planets. The team discovered that small planets are harder to detect in binary systems due to glare from the companion star.
The discovery of exoplanet Nu2 Lupi d reveals a rare planet with no known equivalent, with a mass 8.8 times that of Earth and a radius 2.5 times larger than our own. The planet's mild stellar radiation and long orbital period make it an attractive target for future study.
A new study measured the densities of seven exoplanets in the TRAPPIST-1 system with extreme precision, finding remarkably similar compositions among all planets. The researchers propose three hypotheses to explain this similarity, including lower iron content, oxygen-enriched compositions, and water enrichment.
The newly discovered GJ 887 system hosts multiple super-Earth sized planets, making it an ideal target for the James Webb Space Telescope. The system's proximity and relatively quiet red dwarf star reduce the risk of harmful solar flares, providing a promising opportunity to study exoplanet atmospheres.
Astronomers detect exoplanet AU Mic b, about the size of Neptune, using NASA's TESS and Spitzer space telescopes. The discovery provides a unique laboratory to study planetary formation and atmospheric interactions with a young star.
Astronomers analyze archival Hubble data to reveal possible explanation for Fomalhaut b's disappearance: a massive dust cloud produced in a collision between two large bodies orbiting the nearby star Fomalhaut. The team suggests this event may have occurred only every 200,000 years.
Numerical simulations reveal a 'safety zone' where warmer gas pushes satellites away from their parent planets, explaining the presence of single large moons like Titan. The findings support the idea that many large moons formed along with their parent planets.
Dr Markus Mugrauer's study confirms the influence of multiple stars on planet formation and development. He found 200 companion stars to planetary host stars up to 1,600 light years away, including red and white dwarf stars.
Astronomers discovered a giant Jupiter-like exoplanet orbiting a small red dwarf star, defying standard planet formation theories. The exoplanet, GJ 5312b, is nearly half as massive as Jupiter and orbits the tiny star with an eccentric 204-day orbit.
Researchers at the University of Bern discover hints of a volcanically active exomoon, or exo-Io, orbiting the hot giant planet WASP-49b. The presence of sodium gas at an anomalously high-altitude suggests the existence of a small rocky moon that could be responsible for the observed phenomenon.
Researchers have observed a warped disk around an infant protostar, suggesting that misalignment of planetary orbits could be caused by distortions in the planet-forming disk. The discovery provides new insights into how planets form and could explain why many extrasolar systems have planets not lined up in a single plane.
A team of MIT researchers has developed a machine-learning system that can automatically search for debris disks around stars, indicating the presence of exoplanets. The system achieved a 97% accuracy rate and identified 367 previously unexamined celestial objects as promising candidates for further study.
A recent study published in The Astronomical Journal found that exoplanets orbiting the same star are often similar in size and have regular orbital spacing. This pattern could suggest that most planetary systems have a different formation history than our solar system.
Researchers found small, Earth-like planets in Alpha Centauri that may have been overlooked and eliminated the possibility of large Jupiter-sized planets. The study uses advanced spectrographic instruments to narrow the search for habitable planets in our closest neighboring system.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Arlington predicted an additional Earth-like planet in the Gliese 832 system, with stable orbital configuration and mass range of 1-15 Earth masses. The team analyzed simulated data using injected Earth-mass planet to find a habitable zone for potential new world.
A UCL-led team found evidence of planetary debris surrounding a double sun system called SDSS 1557, which suggests the presence of terrestrial planets like Tatooine. The discovery is remarkable because it shows a high metal content, including silicon and magnesium, indicating rocky planet assembly via large asteroids that formed.
A team of Carnegie scientists has discovered three giant planets in a binary star system composed of stellar 'twins' that are also effectively siblings of our Sun. The findings may help explain the influence that giant planets like Jupiter have over a solar system's architecture.
Researchers directly detected a gas giant planet with a wide orbit in the young triple star system HD 131399, challenging existing knowledge about exoplanet detection. The unusual arrangement of the three stars and the planet's size, containing water and methane, may have formed through interactions between planets or binary stars.
The largest visible-light imaging survey of dusty debris disks has been conducted around stars as young as 10 million years old and as mature as over 1 billion years. The diversity of these systems suggests gravitational effects from unseen exoplanets or interactions with interstellar material.
Astronomers have discovered a 'wheel in a wheel' of dust and gas in the GG Tau-A binary star system, revealing a sustaining lifeline between the two discs. This finding supports planet formation by providing a mechanism for material to be transferred from the outer disc to the inner disc.
Researchers have discovered a 'wheel in a wheel' of dust and gas in the binary star system GG Tau-A, indicating that material is being transferred between the outer and inner disks. This finding has major consequences for potential planet formation, suggesting that multiple-star systems can form planets despite their complicated dynamics.
Researchers found a new giant planet in the Pisces constellation using radial velocity technique, contradicting initial assumption that only single-star systems host planets. The discovery has significant implications for understanding how extrasolar planets are formed and could lead to further discoveries in multiple-star systems.
Astronomers found a water-rich asteroid orbiting an exhausted star, indicating the presence of Earth-like exoplanets. The discovery suggests that the star GD 61 had the potential to contain habitable planets, with water and rocky surfaces being key ingredients.
Astronomers have confirmed that nearby double star Fomalhaut is actually a triple star system. The discovery was made using precise movements and spectroscopic measurements of astrometric data, revealing a third smaller star in the vicinity. The stars are separated by 5.5 degrees, but their gravitational pull keeps them bound together.
A team of astronomers has made the most detailed examination yet of a Jupiter-like planet beyond our Solar System, discovering a cloudy atmosphere containing carbon monoxide and water vapour. The findings suggest that the system is like a scaled-up Solar System, with gas giants forming at great distances from their parent star
Researchers collected the first chemical fingerprints of a distant solar system's four red exoplanets, revealing unique spectra and peculiar characteristics. The findings suggest that the planets are too toxic and hot to sustain life as we know it.
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.
The new solar system orbits a dusty young star named HR8799, with three planets roughly 10 times the mass of Jupiter. The discovery allows scientists to study planets as individuals, providing insights into their atmospheres and composition.
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.