Exoplanets
Webb Directly Images Two Planets Orbiting White Dwarfs
In several billion years, our Sun will become a white dwarf. What will happen to Jupiter and Saturn when the…
Water Vapor Found in the Atmosphere of a Small Exoplanet
A recent study published in The Astrophysucal Journal Letters discusses the detection of water within the atmosphere of GJ 9827…
Did We Find Exomoons or Not? The Question Lingers.
Do exoplanets have exomoons? It would be extraordinary if they didn't, but as with all things, we don't know until…
Another Explanation for K2-18b? A Gas-Rich Mini-Neptune with No Habitable Surface
Exoplanet K2-18b is garnering a lot of attention. James Webb Space Telescope spectroscopy shows it has carbon and methane in…
Exoplanets: Why study them? What are the challenges? What can they teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has explored the importance of studying impact craters and planetary surfaces and what these scientific disciplines can teach…
What Could the Extremely Large Telescope See at Proxima Centauri's Planet?
Astronomers discovered a rocky exoplanet in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the Sun. Could there…
Is K2-18b Covered in Oceans of Water or Oceans of Lava?
In the search for potentially life-supporting exoplanets, liquid water is the key indicator. Life on Earth requires liquid water, and…
A Hot Jupiter With a Comet-Like Tail
About 164 light-years away, a Hot Jupiter orbits its star so closely that it takes fewer than four days to…
Big Planets Don’t Necessarily Mean Big Moons
Does the size of an exomoon help determine if life could form on an exoplanet it’s orbiting? This is something…
Half of this Exoplanet is Covered in Lava
Astronomers working with TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) have discovered a planet that's been left out in the Sun too…