exoplanets – Astronomy Now

A third planet found orbiting nearest star to Sun

11 February 2022 Astronomy Now

Astronomers have found the gravitational signature of a third planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the nearest star to the Sun.

Astronomers mining an increasingly rich trove of TESS exoplanet data

24 January 2022 Astronomy Now

NASA’s TESS spacecraft has now found more than 5,000 exoplanet candidates, including three newly-confirmed worlds that face uncertain futures.

Study suggests Mars too small for long-term habitability

22 September 2021 Astronomy Now

Researchers find a correlation between a rocky planet’s size and its ability to retain enough water for habitability.

In a first, ALMA spies huge moon-forming disc around exoplanet

24 July 2021 Astronomy Now

ALMA confirms the presence of a possible moon-forming disc of dusty debris around a Jupiter-size exoplanet 400 light years from Earth.

Earth detectable, in theory, from more than 2,000 nearby star systems

24 June 2021 Astronomy Now

More than 2,000 star systems found within 326 light years that have been or will be in position to detect Earth as it transits the Sun.

Hubble spies double-star exoplanet in long orbit like hypothetical path of ‘Planet Nine’

14 December 2020 Astronomy Now

Hubble helps astronomers characterise exoplanet orbit that is similar to the path of a hypothesised “Planet Nine” in Earth’s solar system.

Radioactive elements may be key to exoplanet habitability

22 November 2020 Astronomy Now

The amount of radioactive elements in the core of a rocky exoplanet may be a critical factor in determining its habitability.

Researchers find exoplanet with pi-like 3.14-day orbit

22 September 2020 Astronomy Now

Researchers digging through Kepler Space Telescope data found an exoplanet with a pi-like 3.14-day orbit around a cool , low-mass star.

Hubble tests techniques for finding biosignatures in exoplanet atmospheres

7 August 2020 Astronomy Now

Hubble uses sunlight reflected from the moon during an eclipse to detect ozone in Earth’s atmosphere, testing methods needed to assess exoplanet atmospheres.

Radio astronomers measure star’s wobble, find Saturn-size exoplanet

4 August 2020 Astronomy Now

Radio telescope finds Saturn-class exoplanet orbiting nearby dwarf star after measuring slight changes in the star’s position.