exoplanets
Hubble and Spitzer Team up to Find a Pair of Waterworld Exoplanets
Using data from Hubble and Spitzer, an international team has discovered two new waterworlds in one system.
Do Exoplanet Scientists Have Favorite Exoplanets?
Exoplanets have become quite the sensation over the last decade-plus, with scientists confirming new exoplanets on a regular basis thanks…
What’s the Best Mix of Oceans to Land for a Habitable Planet?
Earth is about 29% land and 71% oceans. How significant is that mix for habitability? What does it tell us…
Keck's new Planet Hunter Instrument Comes Online, Searching for Smaller, More Earth-Sized Exoplanets
There’s a new planet hunter in town, and it’s got its sights set on nearby Earth-sized planets in the galactic…
The Case of the “Missing Exoplanets”
A team of astronomers with the CLEVER Planets project have developed a model that may explain the mystery of the…
Searching for Life on Highly Eccentric Exoplanets
When we think about finding life beyond Earth, especially on exoplanets, we immediately want to search for the next Earth,…
Here are Four Ways JWST Could Detect Alien Life
There are many ways that the James Webb Space Telescope could search for life. Here are four promising ones.
Webb Can Detect Planets Orbiting White Dwarfs, And Maybe Even See Signs of Life
In a recent study accepted to the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, an international team of researchers led…
The Heaviest Element Ever Seen in an Exoplanet’s Atmosphere: Barium
Astronomers have spotted barium in the atmosphere of a distant exoplanet. With its 56 protons, you have to run your…
Scientists Discover a New Way Exoplanets Could Make Oxygen; Unfortunately, it Doesn’t Require Life
Finding oxygen in an exoplanet's atmosphere is a clue that life may be at work. On Earth, photosynthetic organisms absorb…