Extrasolar Planets
Super Earths
[/caption] The holy grail in the search for extrasolar planets will be the discovery of Earthlike planets orbiting other stars.…
Biggest Exoplanet Yet Orbits the Wrong Way
[/caption] Planet hunters from the UK have discovered the largest exoplanet yet, and its uniqueness doesn't end there. Dubbed WASP-17,…
Giant Planets
[/caption] While the inner four planets seem large, they are nothing compared to the four outer planets, which are also…
Beyond the Solar System
[/caption] You are probably somewhat familiar with our Solar System. At least you most likely know that there are eight…
Exoplanet Has Oddball Orbit
[/caption] In what might be a evidence of planetary billiards, astronomers have found an exoplanet with an extremely odd orbit.…
The Milky Way Could have Billions of Earths
With the upcoming launch in March of the Kepler mission to find extrasolar planets, there is quite a lot of…
How Big Do Planets Get?
Question: How Big Can Planets Get? Answer: Here in the Solar System, we have three kinds of planets: the inner…
Why Haven’t Planets Been Detected Around Alpha Centauri?
Question: Why aren't astronomers looking for planets around nearby stars like Alpha Centauri? Answer: That's a great question. Since Alpha…
Rocky Planets May Form Around Most Sun-like Stars
Astronomers have found numerous Jupiter-like planets orbiting other stars. But because of the limits of our current technology, they haven't…
Astronomers Could Detect Oceans on Extrasolar Planets
Imagine if astronomers could tell the difference between Earth-like extrasolar planets just by seeing the reflected light from their oceans?…