Exoplanet News - SciTechDaily

Escaping Atmospheres: Unraveling the Hydrodynamic Mysteries of Exoplanets

Chinese Academy of Sciences — Wed, 22 May 2024 10:46:24 +0000

New research enhances understanding of atmospheric escape in exoplanets, focusing on classification and impacts on habitability. A new study increases our understanding of the violent...

New 400,000-Pixel Superconducting Camera Offers Unprecedented View of the Cosmos

NASA — Tue, 21 May 2024 17:02:34 +0000

A new superconducting camera with 400,000 pixels offers unprecedented capabilities in low-noise, high-resolution imaging for astronomy and quantum technology applications. In the pursuit of faint...

Webb Space Telescope Cracks Case of Puffy “Microwaved Marshmallow” Exoplanet

Space Telescope Science Institute — Tue, 21 May 2024 08:22:31 +0000

A surprising deficiency of methane suggests that tidal heating has puffed up the atmosphere of the warm gas giant WASP-107 b. Why is the warm...

Astronomers Uncover a Baffling “Cosmic Mystery” – A Giant Planet As Fluffy as Cotton Candy

University of Liège — Sun, 19 May 2024 13:27:42 +0000

This exoplanet is larger but seven times less massive than Jupiter and is the second least dense planet discovered to date. An international team led...

Extreme Exoplanet Discovered: Fiery Red Planet Rages With Intense Volcanic Activity

Jules Bernstein, University of California - Riverside — Sat, 18 May 2024 07:03:22 +0000

An astrophysicist discovered a fiery red exoplanet with intense volcanic activity, influenced by tidal forces similar to those affecting Jupiter’s moon Io. UC Riverside astrophysicist...

Astronomers Discover Nearby Earth-Sized Planet With No Atmosphere

Jennifer Chu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Fri, 17 May 2024 19:58:52 +0000

Astronomers have discovered a new Earth-sized planet, SPECULOOS-3b, orbiting a cold, Jupiter-sized star 55 light years away. Unlike Earth, this planet likely lacks an atmosphere...

Super Fluffy “Cotton Candy” Exoplanet Discovery Shocks Scientists – “We Cannot Explain How This Planet Formed”

Jennifer Chu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Thu, 16 May 2024 02:49:21 +0000

Astronomers have discovered an enormous, low-density planet named WASP-193b, which is 50% larger than Jupiter but has a cotton candy-like density. This finding challenges current...

SPECULOOS Uncovers Earth-Sized Exoplanet Just 55 Light-Years Away

University of Liège — Wed, 15 May 2024 09:00:45 +0000

Astronomers have just revealed the existence of an Earth-sized planet around SPECULOOS-3, a nearby star similar in size to Jupiter and twice as cold as...

Super-Earth Surprise: Webb Finds Atmosphere on Rocky Exoplanet For the First Time

Space Telescope Science Institute — Sun, 12 May 2024 03:20:52 +0000

Gas bubbling up from a lava-covered surface on 55 Cancri e may feed an atmosphere rich in carbon dioxide or carbon monoxide. These days, detecting...

Did the Webb Telescope Find Alien Life on Exoplanet K2-18b? Here’s What We Know

University of California - Riverside — Wed, 08 May 2024 02:49:02 +0000

Recent research finds claims of biosignature gas detection were premature. Recent reports of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope finding signs of life on a distant...

From Inferno to Rainbow: Discovering WASP-76b’s Atmospheric Marvel

European Space Agency (ESA) — Tue, 07 May 2024 00:25:15 +0000

For the first time, potential signs of the rainbow-like ‘glory effect’ have been detected on a planet outside our Solar System. Glory are colorful concentric...

Fiery 5,000 MPH Winds: Webb Maps Weather on Extreme Exoplanet WASP-43 b

Space Telescope Science Institute — Thu, 02 May 2024 08:13:33 +0000

WASP-43 b is cloudy on the nightside and clear on the dayside, with equatorial winds howling around the planet at 5,000 miles per hour. Sometimes...

The Color of Alien Life: Could Purple Be the New Green?

Cornell University — Fri, 19 Apr 2024 17:18:36 +0000

In the quest to discover life beyond our planet, the traditional green color commonly linked with terrestrial life might not be the most reliable sign....

How Stellar Magnetism Is Reshaping Our View of Distant Worlds

Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research — Thu, 18 Apr 2024 20:22:33 +0000

From the brightness variations of its host star, an exoplanet’s size and other properties can be determined. In order to avoid mistakes, the star’s magnetic...

Earth’s Infrared Secrets: Key to Finding Life in Distant Worlds

ETH Zurich / LIFE initiative — Sat, 13 Apr 2024 07:04:16 +0000

Life is indeed possible on Earth. This has been demonstrated in a study conducted by the Institute of Particle Physics and Astrophysics at ETH Zurich....

Alien Atmosphere: “Rainbow” Detected on Exoplanet That Rains Molten Iron

University of Geneva — Fri, 12 Apr 2024 20:12:50 +0000

New observations from the space telescope point to the existence of a “glory” in the atmosphere of WASP-76b, a luminous phenomenon like a rainbow. The...

NASA’s TESS Discovers a “Cold Saturn” With a Long Year

Pat Brennan, NASA — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 07:09:48 +0000

Two giant planets, TOI-4600 b and c, located 700 light-years away, have been discovered orbiting a sun-like star, filling a gap in our understanding of...

From Sci-Fi to Reality: Yale Study Points to a More Livable Tatooine

Yale University — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 00:54:29 +0000

Luke Skywalker’s childhood might have been slightly less harsh if he’d grown up on a more temperate Tatooine — like the ones identified in a...

Chilling Revelations: Ice Shells Expose Alien Ocean Temperatures

James Dean, Cornell University — Thu, 04 Apr 2024 07:14:16 +0000

A novel method by Cornell scientists uses ice shell thickness to predict ocean temperatures on distant moons, offering new insights into their potential for life....

Twin Suns and Alien Worlds: The Science Fiction Journey From Tatooine to Reality

Sissa Medialab — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 19:01:32 +0000

Research reveals that the discovery of exoplanets has influenced science fiction, leading to more accurate and varied portrayals of these celestial bodies, highlighting the genre’s...

Cosmic Puzzles: New Research Sheds Light on Why Our Solar System Lacks a Mini-Neptune

University of Kansas — Wed, 20 Mar 2024 22:54:11 +0000

The study of “exoplanets,” the sci-fi-sounding name for all planets in the cosmos beyond our own solar system, is a pretty new field. Mainly, exoplanet...

The Carbon Dioxide Trail Leads MIT Scientists to Potential Alien Life

Jennifer Chu, Massachusetts Institute of Technology — Wed, 28 Feb 2024 01:56:37 +0000

A low carbon abundance in planetary atmospheres, which the James Webb Space Telescope can detect, could be a signature of habitability. Scientists at MIT, the...

Signs of Alien Life: Telescopes Unveil the Hidden Secrets of Exoplanet Atmospheres

Tatyana Woodall, Ohio State University — Sat, 24 Feb 2024 11:46:38 +0000

High-tech telescopes search for chemicals necessary for life on Earth. The next generation of advanced telescopes could sharpen the hunt for potential extraterrestrial life by...

When Worlds Collide: The Luminous Aftermath of Exoplanet Catastrophe

Chelsea Gohd, NASA — Mon, 19 Feb 2024 17:03:21 +0000

Researchers have discovered evidence of a colossal exoplanet collision, marked by a glowing cloud of gas and dust, through observations of a young star’s unusual...