exoplanet characterization
Radiating Exoplanet Discovered in “Perfect Tidal Storm”
Can tidal forces cause an exoplanet’s surface to radiate heat? This is what a recent study accepted to The Astronomical…
Water Vapor Found in the Atmosphere of a Small Exoplanet
A recent study published in The Astrophysucal Journal Letters discusses the detection of water within the atmosphere of GJ 9827…
Exoplanets: Why study them? What are the challenges? What can they teach us about finding life beyond Earth?
Universe Today has explored the importance of studying impact craters and planetary surfaces and what these scientific disciplines can teach…
Big Planets Don’t Necessarily Mean Big Moons
Does the size of an exomoon help determine if life could form on an exoplanet it’s orbiting? This is something…
Where are All the Double Planets?
A recent study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society examines formation mechanisms for how binary planets—two…
Exo-Jupiters’ Commonality and Exclusivity Highlighted in Two New Studies
A pair of recent studies conduct in-depth analyses of Jupiter-sized exoplanets, also known as Exo-Jupiters, and were published in Nature…
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.
Astronomers Measure the Atmosphere on a Planet Hundreds of Light-Years Away
In a recent study, an international team of astronomers directly measured the atmospheric composition of a hot Jupiter hundreds of…
If Astronomers see Isoprene in the Atmosphere of an Alien World, There’s a Good Chance There’s Life There
According to new research from MIT, isoprene is another biosignature we should be on the lookout for on exoplanets!
What Are Some Clues to the Climates of Exoplanets?
Researchers from the Carl Sagan Institute have created a new model for assessing the habitability of exoplanets that orbit different…