Earth-like planets
Rocky Planets Might Need to be the Right age to Support Life
In a new study, a team of Earth scientists shows how scientists could look for signs of a carbon-silicate cycle…
Future Telescopes Could be Seeing the Wrong Planets
When we directly observe distant worlds, some exoplanets might appear Earth-like, even when they are not.
There are Probably Many More Earth-Sized Worlds Than Previously Believed
In the past decade, the discovery of extrasolar planets has accelerated immensely. To date, 4,424 exoplanets have been confirmed in…
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…
Super-Earth Conditions Simulated in the Lab to Discover if They’re Habitable
Researchers recently simulated what geological conditions would be like on Super-Earths, and found that a few known exoplanets are worth…
Some Stars Could Support as Many as 7 Habitable Planets
A new study by a team of astronomers and planetary scientists calculate that some stars could have as many as…
Astronomers Estimate There Are 6 Billion Earth-Like Planets in the Milky Way
Six billion Earth-like planets in the Milky Way? If true, that's astounding. But the number needs some context. The Milky…
Astronomers Have Found the Star/Exoplanet Combo That’s the Best Twin to the Sun/Earth
At times, it seems like there's an indundation of announcements featuring discoveries of "Earth-like" planets. And while those announcements are…
An Earth-Sized World Orbiting in its Star’s Habitable Zone Was Found in Older Kepler Data
Searching through archival Kepler data has revealed another exoplanet around Kepler-1649, the most Earth-like exoplanet discovered to date