Extrasolar Planets
Imagining Plants on another Planet
If and when astronomers finally start discovering life on other worlds, they'll be wondering what kinds of lifeforms are there.…
Hidden Planet Disturbs a Ring of Dust
You can't see it, but there's a Neptune-sized planet hidden in a ring of dust around the star Fomalhaut. At…
Stable Star Gives the Best Chance for Life
One of the biggest news stories of the year was an Earth-sized planet orbiting Gliese 581. Even more importantly, this…
Amateurs Help Discover a Planet that Might be a Brown Dwarf
Another new planet has been announced this week that crosses the line between planet and brown dwarf. This time, the…
Metal Poor Star Found With Planets
When you look at the ground beneath your feet, you're looking at matter created in the heart of stars at…
Neptune-Sized Planet Covered in Superhot Ice
One of the most dramatic extrasolar planetary discoveries of the year was announced this week; unfortunately, with little fanfare. Planet…
Newly Discovered Planet Orbits in Just 31 Hours
Of the extrasolar planets astronomers have discovered, it's the hot jupiters that really boggle the imagination. These worlds can be…
New Mission Could Find Star Trek’s Planet Vulcan
All right, this article from NASA is totally pandering to my Star Trek geekiness. I know I'm being manipulated, but…
Astronomers Map the Hot Weather on a Distant Planet
How's the weather? Hot enough for you? Well, if you're living on extrasolar planet HD 189733b, you'd really want to…
Creating the Conditions Inside Supergiant Planets
We won't be visiting a supergiant planet any time soon. But physicists are about to do the next best thing,…