Extrasolar Planets
Super Earths Emerge From Snowy Conditions
Many extrasolar planets have been discovered circling other stars, a few of which are 5-15 times the mass of the…
Hubble Examines the Closest Known Extrasolar Planet
The Hubble Space Telescope turned its gaze towards a relatively nearby Jupiter-sized world recently. The planet orbits the Sun-like star…
Hubble Finds Distant Extrasolar Planets
The Hubble Space Telescope has identified 16 stars that could have extrasolar planets. The discoveries were made as part of…
Are There Oceans on Neptune?
Smaller and cooler than the gas giants, Neptune and Uranus are classified as ice giants. It's a good name, since…
A Closer Look at Planetary Formation
Astronomers have used the European Southern Observatory to map a vast disc of gas and dust surrounding a newly born…
Two Hot New Planets Discovered
An international team of astronomers have turned up two new Jupiter-sized planets orbiting distant stars. These planets are incredibly close…
Podcast: In Search of Other Worlds
Look down at your feet. There - you're looking at a planet. Now look into the night sky and you…
Brown Dwarf Discovered in Planetary System
NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has directly imaged a small brown dwarf star orbiting a larger star - the first time…
Huge, Lightweight Planet Discovered
A new, lightweight planet has been discovered orbiting a star 450 light-years away in the constellation Lacerta. This unusual planet…
Identifying Planets with Life
Telescope technology is advancing quickly, as larger and larger instruments are getting built. Eventually, an observatory will be built capable…