Extrasolar Planets
Is This the First Photo of an Exoplanet?
Astronomers have discovered more than 150 planets orbiting distant stars, but only indirectly. Now an international team of researchers think…
How Many Habitable Planets Could Be Out There?
The chances of finding life somewhere else in the Universe depends on how many planets are capable of supporting life.…
First Light Seen from an Extrasolar Planet
NASA's Spitzer telescope has detected the light from distant planets for the first time. Until now, extrasolar planets have only…
A Dozen New Planets Discovered
In the last month planet hunters have uncovered 12 new worlds orbiting other stars, bringing the total planet count to…
Diamond Worlds Could Exist
The inner planets in our solar system are largely made of rock, which are formed from silicon. But in a…
Smallest Extrasolar Planet Found
Astronomers from Penn State and Caltech have found the smallest extrasolar planet yet, orbiting a pulsar 1,500 light-years away. The…
Hubble Could Be Seeing a Planet
The Hubble Space Telescope is helping to confirm the potential discovery of an extrasolar planet; the companion of a dim…
Spitzer Sees the Aftermath of a Planetary Collision
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has found a dusty ring of material orbiting nearby Vega which was probably the result of…
Planetary Systems Seen Forming
Both Hubble and the Spitzer Space Telescope have provided astronomers with a view of planetary systems forming around other stars…
Ingredients are There to Make Rocky Planets
Protoplanetary discs surrounding new stars seem to have the building blocks for rocky planets right from the start, according to…