Extrasolar Planets
Add Heat, Then Tectonics: Narrowing the Hunt for Life in Space
In order to support life, an exoplanet should simply hang out where heat from its star is just right for liquid…
Planet-Forming Disk Discovered Orbiting Binary System
[/caption] Science fiction is lousy with examples of planets that orbit a system of two suns. Tatooine, in the Star…
First Extra-Galactic Planet May Have Been Detected
[/caption] Using a technique called Pixel-lensing, a group of astronomers in Italy may have detected a planet orbiting another star.…
Astrometry Finally Finds an Exoplanet
[/caption] Using the method of astrometry to find planets orbiting other stars has been around for 50 years, and until…
New Technique Could Find Another “Pale Blue Dot”
[/caption] By looking back at Earth from alien's point of view, scientists have developed a new technique to look for…
On Your Mark, Get Set, Let’s Find Planets!
[/caption] The checkout and calibration phase for the Kepler spacecraft has been completed, and now the telescope will begin one…
The Case of the Missing Planets: Are Stars Eating Their Young?
[/caption] A new era on astronomy began in 1995 when the first extrasolar planet was detected. To date, 346 planets…
Nearly Earth-sized Planet, Possible Watery World Spotted Near Another Star
Astronomers are announcing a newly discovered exoplanet in the habitable zone of its star, and another one -- in the…
Ancient Solar Systems Found Around Dead Stars
[/caption] Were there once habitable planets long ago around stars that are now dead? A team of astronomers have found…
Kepler’s “First Light” Images
[/caption] W00t! Kepler has seen first light! The spacecraft has taken its first images of the star-rich sky where it…