exoplanet
There are Natural Starshades Out There, Which Would Help Astronomers Image Exoplanets
A new study by an international team of astronomers has shown that eclipsing binary stars could act as a natural…
Study Finds Bizarre Exoplanet Orbits for Binary Stars
There’s an iconic scene in the original Star Wars movie where Luke Skywalker looks out over the desert landscape of…
What is a Generation Ship?
The concept of a Generation Ship is a time-honored one, but is it the best way to send an interstellar…
Astronomers Image the Atmosphere of a Red Dwarf Planet for the First Time. Spoiler Alert, it’s a Terrible Place to Live
Using data from the Spitzer Space Telescope, a team of astronomers was able to study the surface of an exoplanet…
Ground-Based Telescope Directly Observes the Atmosphere of an Extrasolar Planet, and Sees Swirling Clouds of Iron and Silicates
We've finally got our first optical look at an exoplanet and its atmosphere, and boy is it a strange place.…
Astronomers find Planet Vulcan – 40 Eridani A – Right Where Star Trek Predicted it.
One of the more interesting and rewarding aspects of astronomy and space exploration is seeing science fiction become science fact.…
TRAPPIST-1 Planets Might Actually Have Too Much Water to be Habitable
A new study has cast doubt on whether or not the TRAPPIST-1 system could be habitable, indicating that it has…
Upcoming Telescopes Should be Able to Detect Mountains and Other Landscapes on Extrasolar Planets
According to a new study by a team from Columbia University, the upcoming super telescopes might be able to detect…
Using Atmospheric Beacons to Search for Signs of Extra-Terrestrial Life
A new study by a team of NASA scientists has shown how searching for biosignatures known as atmospheric beacons could…
“Monster Planet” Discovered, Makes Scientists Rethink Theories of Planetary Formation
The discovery of a Jupiter-sized planet around a red dwarf star has caused astronomers to rethink some of their theories…