exoplanets

The Case of the Disappearing Dust

Astronomy has always taught us that planets form from vast clouds of dust and gas orbiting young stars. It's a…

9 years ago

How to Measure a Hot Jupiter

An international team of astronomers has figured out a way to determine details of an exoplanet's atmosphere from 50 light-years…

9 years ago

What a View! Exoplanet Odd Couple Orbit in Close Proximity

Imagine if the Neptune was only a million miles from Earth. What a view we’d have! … not to mention…

9 years ago

Doomed Mercury-Sized Exoplanet May Be Turning to Dust

[/caption] The old saying of the universe being stranger than we can imagine definitely applies to a newfound exoplanet orbiting…

10 years ago

JPL Wants To FINESSE Info From Exoplanets

Jet Propulsion Laboratory's proposed FINESSE space telescope may not hunt for exoplanets, but it will find out what they're made…

10 years ago

Rogue Planets Could Drive By And Scoop Up Life

[/caption] Free-floating "rogue" planets may occasionally dip into the inner Solar System, picking up dust containing organic compounds -- a.k.a.…

10 years ago

Alien Life May Not Be So Alien – If It Exists At All

[/caption] Are we too hopeful in our hunt for extraterrestrial life? Regardless of exoplanet counts, super-Earths and Goldilocks zones, the…

10 years ago

How Would Humans Respond to First Contact from an Alien World?

[/caption] According to Star Trek lore, it is only 51 years until humans encounter their first contact with an alien…

10 years ago

“Tidal Venuses” May Have Been Wrung Out To Dry

[/caption] Earth-sized exoplanets within a distant star's habitable zone could still be very much uninhabitable, depending on potential tidal stresses…

10 years ago

Is There Life on Earth?

[/caption] It may seem like a silly question -- of course there's life on Earth -- but what if we…

10 years ago