SUNSET: 
Auroras Discovered Around Rogue Brown Dwarf
Astronomers have discovered auroras around a set of brown dwarfs — including one that wanders the galaxy by itself — indicating surprisingly strong magnetic fields in these failed stars.
When Giant Planets Orbit Evolved Stars
A new study explores the impacts of stars that age past the main sequence and evolve into red giants on the planets orbiting around them by looking at the orbits of gas giants closely circling evolved stars.
First Confirmed Image of Newborn Planet
Astronomers using a new instrument on the Very Large Telescope in Chile have directly imaged a newborn planet.
60-Second Astro News: 3D View of Star-Forming Cloud & A Cloud-Free Exoplanet
This week in astronomy news: Researchers discover the first completely cloud-free exoplanet and a star-forming cloud reveals its structure through vibrations.
Scientists Spot Helium Escaping Giant Planet's Atmosphere
Hubble observations reveal a Jupiter-size exoplanet losing its atmosphere in a system 200 light-years away.
60-Second Astro News: Tech Advances for Exoplanet Hunters
A mini-satellite demonstrates exoplanet-hunting technology, a superconducting camera tests its abilities to image exoplanets, and bad news for life on Proxima Centauri b.
Successful Launch for NASA’s TESS Exoplanet Mission
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) launched successfully on April 18th at 6:51 p.m. EDT aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to survey the entire sky for new worlds.
Astronomy in Space with David Dickinson
ARIEL: Next-Decade Exoplanet Mission Selected
The European Space Agency's ARIEL mission will seek to analyze the atmospheric composition and true nature of distant worlds.
The Fate of Exomoons when Planets Scatter
Planet interactions are thought to be common as solar systems are first forming and settling down. A new study suggests that these close encounters could have a significant impact on the moons of giant exoplanets — and they may generate a large population of free-floating exomoons.
An Eccentric Planet Skims a Giant Star
As part of a major survey of evolved stars, scientists have discovered the most eccentric planet known to orbit a giant. What can we learn from this unusual object before it’s eventually consumed by its host?
A Closer Look at the Worlds of TRAPPIST-1
Two new studies of the seven planets orbiting TRAPPIST-1 shed light on how these worlds formed and what they look like now.
A New Definition for the Biggest Planets?
Scientists now understand where large planets stop and small brown dwarfs begin — a discovery that redefines the word “planet.”
Extra Stars Might Downsize Exoplanets
Follow-up studies of candidates planetary systems found by NASA’s Kepler mission suggest that companion stars make some worlds appear smaller than they really are.
Ringed Disks Don’t Always Mean Planets
Astronomers presenting at the winter American Astronomical Society meeting caution that the features often pointed to as evidence of growing natal planets could form on their own.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
