Characterizing exoplanets
Officially, Only the Sun Can Have Planets. Is it Time to Fix the Definition of “Planet”?
What is the true definition of a planet, and could there be a more refined definition in the future? This…
Water Vapor Found in the Atmosphere of a Small Exoplanet
A recent study published in The Astrophysucal Journal Letters discusses the detection of water within the atmosphere of GJ 9827…
Big Planets Don’t Necessarily Mean Big Moons
Does the size of an exomoon help determine if life could form on an exoplanet it’s orbiting? This is something…
TRAPPIST-1c Isn’t the Exo-Venus We Were Hoping For. But Don’t Blame the Star
A recent study accepted to The Astrophysical Journal uses computer models to investigate why the exoplanet, TRAPPIST-1c, could not possess…
Exo-Jupiters’ Commonality and Exclusivity Highlighted in Two New Studies
A pair of recent studies conduct in-depth analyses of Jupiter-sized exoplanets, also known as Exo-Jupiters, and were published in Nature…
An Exoplanet so Hot it has Clouds Made of Quartz
A recent study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters used data obtained by the James Webb Space Telescope’s (JWST) Mid-Infrared…
Here are the First Pictures from CHEOPS
The CHEOPS spacecraft is taking the first tentative steps in its mission. Back on January 29th, the spacecraft opened the…