Exoplanets

Astronomers Find a Planet Using Gaia DataAstronomers Find a Planet Using Gaia Data

Astronomers Find a Planet Using Gaia Data

The ESA's Gaia mission is our most accurate star-measuring spacecraft. It's busy mapping the positions and radial velocities of one…

2 years ago
Astronomers Find Out What Happens to Rocky Planets That Wander too Close to Their StarsAstronomers Find Out What Happens to Rocky Planets That Wander too Close to Their Stars

Astronomers Find Out What Happens to Rocky Planets That Wander too Close to Their Stars

The massive Kepler survey found a treasure trove of exoplanets. But in all that wealth they found three anomalies: what…

2 years ago
Do Repeating Radio Signals Indicate an Exoplanet with a Magnetosphere?Do Repeating Radio Signals Indicate an Exoplanet with a Magnetosphere?

Do Repeating Radio Signals Indicate an Exoplanet with a Magnetosphere?

There's an interesting problem in exoplanet studies: how to tell if a planet has a magnetosphere. It's not like we…

2 years ago
Finally, JWST's Data on the First TRAPPIST-1 Planet. Survey Says? It SucksFinally, JWST's Data on the First TRAPPIST-1 Planet. Survey Says? It Sucks

Finally, JWST's Data on the First TRAPPIST-1 Planet. Survey Says? It Sucks

With the James Webb Space Telescope’s ability to detect and study the atmospheres of distant planets orbiting other stars, exoplanet…

2 years ago
The Discovery of a Hot Neptune that Shouldn’t ExistThe Discovery of a Hot Neptune that Shouldn’t Exist

The Discovery of a Hot Neptune that Shouldn’t Exist

1800 light-years away, an unlikely survivor orbits an aged star. This rare planet is called a hot Neptune, and it's…

2 years ago
TESS Shows That Even Small Stars Can Host Giant PlanetsTESS Shows That Even Small Stars Can Host Giant Planets

TESS Shows That Even Small Stars Can Host Giant Planets

Can low-mass stars play host to giant, Jupiter-sized planets? Theories of planet formation suggest that it's highly unlikely. But a…

2 years ago
Stars Can Eat Their Planets…and Spit Them Back Out AgainStars Can Eat Their Planets…and Spit Them Back Out Again

Stars Can Eat Their Planets…and Spit Them Back Out Again

As tragic as it is, engulfment of a planetary object by its stellar parent is a common scenario throughout the…

2 years ago
Venus is Like an Exoplanet that’s Right Next DoorVenus is Like an Exoplanet that’s Right Next Door

Venus is Like an Exoplanet that’s Right Next Door

We're lucky to have a neighbour like Venus, even though it's totally inhospitable, wildly different from the other rocky planets,…

2 years ago
The Planet That Shouldn’t ExistThe Planet That Shouldn’t Exist

The Planet That Shouldn’t Exist

As of this writing, almost 5300 exoplanets spanning approximately 4000 planetary systems have been confirmed to exist in our universe.…

2 years ago
What Would Happen if the Solar System Gained a Super-Earth?What Would Happen if the Solar System Gained a Super-Earth?

What Would Happen if the Solar System Gained a Super-Earth?

In this era of exoplanet discovery, astronomers have found over 5,000 confirmed exoplanets, with thousands more awaiting confirmation and many…

2 years ago