Extrasolar Planets
‘Wobbly’ Alien Planet Has Weird Seasons And Orbits Two Stars
We're lucky to live on a planet where it's predictably warmer in the summer and colder in the winter in…
Super-Earths Could Be More ‘Superhabitable’ Than Planets Like Ours
Alien planets that are slightly bigger than Earth could be more life-friendly than exoplanets closer to our own size, a new study…
Young Planets Migrated In Double-Star Systems, Model Shows
Binary star systems are downright dangerous due to their complex gravitational interactions that can easily grind a planet to pieces.…
Nearby Brown Dwarf Captured in a Direct Image
A recent find announced by astronomers may go a long ways towards understanding a crucial “missing link” between planets and…
Super-sensitive Camera Captures a Direct Image of an Exoplanet
The world's newest and most powerful exoplanet imaging instrument, the recently-installed Gemini Planet Imager (GPI) on the 8-meter Gemini South…
Kepler Finds an Earth-Sized “Gas Giant”
Gas planets aren't always bloated, monstrous worlds the size of Jupiter or Saturn (or larger) they can also apparently be…
How Scientists Confirmed The Mass Of An Invisible Exoplanet
Planets are so very tiny next to stars outside of the solar system, making it really hard to spot exoplanets…
Why Exoplanet-Hunting Is ‘Like Seeing A Flea In A Lightbulb’
Exoplanets are really tiny compared to their host star, and it's hard to imagine sometimes how astronomers can even find…
This Exoplanet Is Turning Planetary Formation Scenarios Upside Down
What the heck is that giant exoplanet doing so far away from its star? Astronomers are still trying to figure…
How Do We Learn About An Alien Planet’s Size And Atmosphere?
The fun and challenge of exoplanet science is the planets are so far away and so tiny. Figuring out what…