Extrasolar Planets
Atmospheres of Super Earths
[/caption] We stand on the edge of the next phase of planetary discovery. Hundreds of massive, Jupiter-like planets have been…
The Case of the Disappearing Planetary Disks
[/caption] After examining the 5-million-year old star cluster NGC 2362, astronomers say that planets like Jupiter must form quickly because…
Astronomers Now Looking For Exomoons Around Exoplanets
[/caption]It looks like astronomers have already grown tired of taking direct observations of exoplanets, been there, done that. So they…
Time Magazine Top 10 Scientific Discoveries of 2008: Space and Physics Dominate
[/caption]2008 has been an astounding year of scientific discovery. To celebrate this fact, Time Magazine has listed the "Top 10…
Carbon Dioxide Detected on Exoplanet HD 189733b
[/caption]The Hubble Space Telescope has detected carbon dioxide on a planet orbiting another star. The star in question is HD…
Students Find Exoplanet
[/caption] Three undergraduate students doing a research project discovered an extrasolar planet. The planet is about five times as massive…
Another Direct Image of an Exoplanet?
[/caption] Have the floodgates opened for imaging exoplanets?! A team of French astronomers using ESO's Very Large Telescope have discovered…
Hubble Takes First Visible Light Image of Extrasolar Planet
[/caption] Persistence has paid off for astronomer Paul Kalas. After eight years and taking repeated photographs with the Hubble Space…
First Image of Another Multi-Planet Solar System
Here's what we've all been waiting for: for the first time, astronomers have taken pictures of a multi-planet solar system,…
Spock’s Solar System Looks Like Ours
[/caption] Back in 2000, astronomers discovered a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting the nearby star Epsilon Eridani. Since that star system is…