Exoplanets
Latest about Exoplanets
Giant exoplanet the size of 2 Jupiters has a hidden companion disturbing its orbit
By Robert Lea published
Using the NASA exoplanet-hunting spacecraft TESS, astronomers have discovered a hot Jupiter dancing with a hidden super-Earth companion.
Some rocky exoplanets could have huge amounts of water in their molten cores
By Keith Cooper published
Young, hot planets could soak up a lot of water into their core, with up to 10 times more water inside than on the surface of the planet.
Have astronomers found the 'secret recipe' for rapid planet growth?
By Robert Lea published
Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune, and Uranus may dominate the solar system, but their formation remains mysterious. A new model could account for these planets' rapid and efficient births.
The discovery of a new Earth-like planet could shed further light on what makes a planet habitable
By Vigneshwaran Krishnamurthy, Hiroyuki Tako Ishikawa published
A team of international scientists has announced the discovery of Gliese 12 b, a temperate, Earth-sized exoplanet just 40 light-years away.
These nearby star systems could be good targets in the search for alien life (video)
By Robert Lea published
Using NASA’s Chandra X-ray space telescope, scientists have investigated if nearby exoplanets could support life, or if their stars are blasting them with too much deadly high-energy radiation.
The 10 most Earth-like exoplanets
By Elizabeth Howell, Ailsa Harvey last updated
Reference Scientists have found more than 5,000 exoplanets since the first such world was confirmed orbiting a sunlike star in 1995. We explore the ones most similar to Earth.
How stars' magnetic fields could impact the chance for life on orbiting planets
By Robert Lea published
Habitability depends on more than just a planet's distance from its host star. New research looks at the impact stellar magnetism has on exoplanets.
James Webb Space Telescope directly images its coldest exoplanet target yet
By Robert Lea published
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have investigated a super-Jupiter that is one of the coldest exoplanets ever directly imaged.
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