41–60 of 347 results

Exoplanets

Webb's Exoplanet Data Are Almost Too Good

A new study urges caution in interpreting the chemical fingerprints that Webb is collecting of alien worlds.

Tarantula Nebula in infrared looks more like a cavity surrounded by spider silk

Exoplanets

Webb Captures an Exoplanet, a Brown Dwarf — and a Giant Tarantula

New Webb images reveal the space telescope's first exoplanet, first brown dwarf, and a stellar nursery teeming with activity.

NGC 628 looks like a giant blue-gold maelstrom with a blue middle

Exoplanets

Webb Reveals Jupiter, Puffy Planet, and Galactic Maelstroms in a New Light

Round out your week with these stunning views of the universe from the James Webb Space telescope.

four overlapping jupiters showing dark orange marks on the bottom

Exoplanets

When Planets Collect Comets

What kind of planets are likely to ensnare comets coming in from the icy outer reaches of a planetary system?

Carina Nebula

Galaxies

What We See in the First Science Images from the James Webb Space Telescope

The James Webb Space Telescope released its first science images today. Here's what these images show us.

Webb's first deep field

Galaxies

What the James Webb Space Telescope's First Year Will Reveal

The James Webb Space Telescope's first year of observations promises to reveal exoplanet atmospheres and surfaces, infant galaxies, and maybe even the first black holes.

HL Tau by ALMA

Citizen Science: Projects & Collaboration

Citizen Scientists Detect Dusty Disks

Disk Detective, a citizen science project dedicated identifying planet-forming disks around young stars, reports their latest results.

White dwarf surrounded by debris disk (art)

Exoplanets

A Strange White Dwarf with a Chaotic Past

New observations show that both rocky and icy worlds fell onto a white dwarf, indicating past orbital chaos in the system.

Earth, reDSCOVRed

Exoplanets

How to Image an Exoplanet with Just a Few Pixels

Using Earth as an example, astronomers are testing a new technique that could image rocky exoplanets without resolving them.

a large orange org against a brown background with clouds and a distant light

Exoplanets

Hot and Cold: Jupiters Reveal Formation and Chemistry of Exotic Worlds

At the extremes: A hot Jupiter reveals extreme chemistry on a sizzling world, and a cold Jupiter sheds light on giant planet formation.

Protoplanetary debris cloud (artist's concept)

Exoplanets

“Lucky” Images Reveal Dusty Debris Around a Star 330 Light-years Away

The transit of a large cloud of protoplanetary rubble across the face of a young star gave the Spitzer Space Telescope our best view yet of planetary evolution in action.

a white planet with orange and green strip against a black background

Exoplanets

First Look at an Unusual Exoplanet’s Atmosphere

AAS Nova reports on a "super-puff" exoplanet that's nearly 15 times less dense than Jupiter.

Dimethyl ether detection in protoplanetary disk

Astrobiology

Largest Molecule Yet Found in Planet-forming Disk

The detection of a complex organic molecule in the disk around an infant star suggests prebiotic chemistry starts in the space between stars.

Proxima d

Exoplanets

New Planet Discovered Around Proxima Centauri, Star Nearest the Sun

A new instrument on a powerful telescope has enabled astronomers to discover another planet around our nearest stellar neighbor.

a dark purple orb is half illuminated by a bright white, smaller orb to its left

Exoplanets

Astronomers Watch the Making of a Super-Earth

Gaseous mini-Neptunes may become rocky super-Earths when they lose their atmospheres. Now, astronomers have caught that process in action.

Exoplanets

Exoplanet Hunter Racks up 5,000 “Objects of Interest”

Since its 2018 launch, the unassuming TESS satellite has found 175 confirmed exoplanets (so far) among 5,000 “objects of interest.”

Neptune-size exomoon around a giant planet (art)

Exoplanets

Needle in the Haystack: New Exomoon Candidate Found

Astronomers may have found a second Neptune-size exomoon hidden in the retired Kepler space telescope’s data.

3D galaxy map

Cosmology

Astronomy in Pictures: Largest 3D Map of Our Universe and a Stellar Intruder

This week astronomers have announced the completion of the largest 3D map of galaxies across the cosmos, plus exquisite radio observations show what happens when a stellar intruder interrupts planet formation.

Artist's concept of giant planet in a far-out orbit

Exoplanets

Giant Planet Imaged Around Massive Stars

Astronomers have imaged a giant planet around a massive pair of stars, a discovery that challenges our notions of how planets form.

M51 (Whirlpool Galaxy) with extroplanet candidate marked

Exoplanets

Did We Find a Planet in Another Galaxy?

Astronomers using an innovative method have detected the signal of what could be an extragalactic exoplanet. But confirming its existence will be difficult.