Extrasolar Planets
Podcast: Discovering Another Earth
What a week! Astronomers announced the discovery of an Earth-sized planet orbiting the nearby star Gliese 581. We talk about…
Cooler Stars Need to Keep Out of the Danger Zone
If you're a newly forming star system, there's no better place to be than a stellar nursery. All those raw…
Earth-Sized Planet Discovered in the Habitable Zone
Great big Jupiter-like planets are one thing, but the Holy Grail of extrasolar planetary discover is going to be another…
Aliens on This World Would See a Double Sunset
Imagine a world orbiting a star in a binary system. Two stars would shine in the day, and the rare…
Exoplanet is Hot and Dry
Astronomers working with the Spitzer Space Telescope announced a tremendous new advance today, when they used the great observatory to…
Hubble Sees An Extrasolar Planet’s Atmosphere
Now here's a feat. The Hubble Space Telescope was able to analyze the atmosphere of a gas giant planet orbiting…
Planets Born to a Dying Star
Young stars and new planets go hand-in-hand. But that might not always be the case. An international team of astronomers…
Blizzard of Snowflake Particles Around a Young Star
The Hubble Space Telescope has imaged a ring of dust around a nearby star that will probably become a system…
On Some Planets, the Winds Go Supersonic
Think of the strongest wind you've ever experienced. No, think of the strongest wind anyone's ever experienced. It still doesn't…
Gas Giants Turn Up Early After Star Formation
New research indicates that gas giants, like Jupiter and Saturn, form quickly after their stars do. In fact, they probably…