exoplanets – Astronomy Now

Five long-period exoplanets found after 20 years of observation

23 April 2019 Astronomy Now

Persistence pays off as University of Geneva researchers confirm five long-period exoplanets after 20 years of observations

A third planet found in binary star system

19 April 2019 Astronomy Now

Astronomers studying data from the Kepler Space Telescope have found a third planet orbiting a binary star system in Cygnus.

TESS finds its first Earth-size planet and a sub-Neptune sibling

15 April 2019 Astronomy Now

NASA’s planet-hunting TESS spacecraft has found its first Earth-size planet orbiting a star 53 light years away, along with a larger sub-Neptune sibling.

First exoplanet directly observed with optical interferometry

29 March 2019 Astronomy Now

Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope, a team of astronomers has made the first direct observation of an exoplanet using optical interferometry.

TESS on track to revolutionise exoplanet astronomy

8 January 2019 Astronomy Now

In just three months, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, discovered three confirmed worlds, 280 candidates and six supernovae.

Rehearsing for more detailed spectroscopic exoplanet analyses

23 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Using adaptive optics and a high-resolution spectrograph, astronomers have confirmed the presence of water in the atmosphere of a planet 130 light years away.

ESA’s CHEOPS exoplanet hunter will launch in October-November 2019

23 November 2018 Astronomy Now

The European Space Agency says the CHEOPS satellite will launch in October 2019 to learn more about how planets in the Earth-to-Neptune size range form and evolve.

TRAPPIST-1 planets likely inhospitable, but one may have water

21 November 2018 Astronomy Now

New research indicates most, if not all, of the worlds orbiting the M dwarf TRAPPIST-1 lost whatever water they might have had early in the star’s history due to intense ultraviolet radiation.

Scientists bid Kepler probe final goodnight and farewell

18 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Flight controllers sent a final set of commands to the exoplanet-hunting Kepler spacecraft, shutting the spacecraft down after it finally ran out of propellant, ending a spectacular mission.

Super-Earth found orbiting Barnard’s Star just six light years away

14 November 2018 Astronomy Now

Astronomers analysing 20 years of data precisely charting the position of Barnard’s Star some six light years away have discovered the second closest exoplanet to Earth.