Extrasolar Planets
To Take the Best Direct Images of Exoplanets With Space Telescopes, we’re Going to Want Starshades
The Journal of Astronomical Telescopes, Instruments, and Systems (JATIS) has released a special edition of papers dedicated to educating the…
Most Exoplanets won’t Receive Enough Radiation to Support an Earth-Like Biosphere
According to new research, most extrasolar planets do not get enough radiation to support photosynthesis, which places limits on how…
A New Technique for “Seeing” Exoplanet Surfaces Based on the Content of their Atmospheres
A new study takes a look at how the presence of a surface can affect an exoplanets atmosphere, giving astrobiologists…
If Astronomers see Isoprene in the Atmosphere of an Alien World, There’s a Good Chance There’s Life There
According to new research from MIT, isoprene is another biosignature we should be on the lookout for on exoplanets!
Gliese 486b is a Hellish World With Temperatures Above 700 Kelvin
The CARMENES consortium recently discovered a super-Earth just 21 light-years away that will be the perfect test case for exoplanets…
How Would Rain be Different on an Alien World?
A new study takes a look at possible rainfall patterns on exoplanets, which could help narrow the search for extraterrestrial…
Just Some of the Planets That TESS Has Found Nearby
Using data from TESS and a number of other observatories, an international team has found a system with three exoplanets…
What Are Extrasolar Planets?
For countless generations, human beings have looked out at the night sky and wondered if they were alone in the…
A Sunlike Star Found With Four (No, Five!) Exoplanets Orbiting It
Thanks to an international team astronomers led from MIT, a nearby Sun-like star has been spotted with a system of…
If a Planet Has a Lot of Methane in its Atmosphere, Life is the Most Likely Cause
The ultra-powerful James Webb Space Telescope will launch soon. Once it's deployed, and in position at the Earth-Sun Lagrange Point…