121–140 of 333 results

Exoplanets

Metal-rich Stars Host Closer Planets

Iron-rich stars host planets on closer orbits than their iron-poor siblings, astronomers find. The results could help reveal how planets form.

Exoplanets

More Planets in the Hyades Cluster

A few weeks ago, Astrobites reported on a Neptune-sized planet discovered orbiting a star in the Hyades cluster. A separate study submitted at the same time, however, reveals that there may be even more planets lurking in this system.

star on a scale

Exoplanets

60-Second Astronomy News: Dec. 20, 2017

This week's roundup of astro news brings us a polar-orbiting planet, a novel way to measure stellar masses, and ginormous convective bubbles on a distant star.

Kepler-90 system

Exoplanets

Neural Network Finds 8-Planet System

Scientists have applied a brand of artificial intelligence to data from the exoplanet-hunting Kepler satellite, resulting in the discovery of the first eight-planet system outside our own.

55 Cancri e, artist's concept

Exoplanets

Atmosphere, Not Lava Flows, for Exoplanet 55 Cancri e

Previous studies of 55 Cancri e haven’t been able to determine whether this super-Earth hosts an atmosphere. A new study settles the question.

Temperate exoplanet 11 light-years away

Exoplanets

Planet Orbits Quiet Star 11 Light-years Away

Astronomers have discovered a potentially rocky planet around a red dwarf star just 11 light-years away.

Exoplanets

Cool Dust — and More Planets? — for Proxima Centauri

Tantalizing new observations hint that there's a lot more going on in the Proxima Centauri system — the one that hosts the exoplanet nearest Earth — than meets the eye.

WASP-12b

Exoplanets

Puffed-Up Hot Jupiter Is Surprisingly Dark

Researchers have found that a football-shaped, ultra-hot gas giant that’s being devoured by its host star is also one of the least reflective exoplanets ever found.

Exoplanets

An Atmosphere of Heavy Metals

Researchers have found strong evidence of titanium oxide in the atmosphere of a hot giant planet, adding new insights to the complex motions of these planets’ extreme atmospheres.

Tau Ceti system

Exoplanets

Four Exoplanets Might Orbit Sun-like Star

Astronomers have used an innovative technique to discover four super-Earth-size planet candidates orbiting Tau Ceti, a Sun-like star 12 light-years away.

Saturn's moons

Exoplanets

Best Exomoon Candidate Yet?

Astronomers have found one of the best exomoon candidates in data collected by the Kepler spacecraft.

TRAPPIST-1

Exoplanets

New Age Estimate for TRAPPIST-1

A new study suggests that the seven-planet dwarf star could be much older than the Sun.

Exoplanets

How Do Earth-Sized, Short-Period Planets Form?

Matching theory to observation often requires creative detective work. In a new study, scientists have used a clever test to reveal clues about the birth of speedy, Earth-sized planets.

Exoplanets

Rogue Planets: Not as Plentiful as Thought

A new study finds that rogue planets — those floating free in the galaxy, unbound to any star — are not as plentiful as we once thought.

hot Jupiter WASP-121b

Exoplanets

Exoplanet Might Have Ozone-like Layer

Astronomers have potentially detected a stratosphere in the atmosphere of a hot Jupiter.

Stellar Science

Discovery of a Free-Floating Double Planet?

An object previously identified as a free-floating, large Jupiter analog turns out to be two objects — each with the mass of a few Jupiters. This system is the lowest-mass binary we’ve ever discovered.

Exoplanets

A Partly Cloudy Exoplanet

Direct imaging of exoplanets was once only possible for the brightest of planets orbiting the dimmest of stars — but new observations of the Jupiter-like exoplanet 51 Eridani b provide tantalizing clues about its atmosphere.

Exoplanet Family Tree

Exoplanets

Kepler Team Releases Final Exoplanet Catalog

The most comprehensive and detailed exoplanet catalog released yet marks the end of an era for Kepler, the planet-hunting telescope.

Hottest Jupiter

Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson

KELT-9b: Hottest Hot Jupiter Exoplanet Yet

Astronomers announce the discovery of bloated gas giant KELT-9b, the hottest "hot Jupiter" exoplanet known orbiting a short-lived massive star.

Giant ringed planet

Pro-Am Collaboration

Help Astronomers Track a Giant, Ringed Planet

The possible discovery of a massive ringed planet in Orion needs confirmation — and amateur astronomers can help.