Super-Earths as a research area encompasses the observational, theoretical, and modeling investigations of exoplanets with masses and radii larger than Earth’s but smaller than those of ice giants like Neptune. Work in this field focuses on internal structure and composition (rocky, water-rich, or volatile-dominated), atmospheric retention and chemistry under varying irradiation regimes, and formation and migration pathways in protoplanetary disks. It integrates high-precision radial-velocity and transit surveys, atmospheric spectroscopy, planetary interior modeling, and population statistics to constrain mass–radius relationships, habitability potential, and comparative planetology frameworks for understanding planetary diversity.
In 2020, a study confirmed that two planets orbited the nearby red dwarf, GJ 887. Now, astronomers have confirmed the existence of two additional planets orbiting GJ 887 in a new study published in Astronomy and Astrophysics. ...
Using HARPS and HARPS-N spectrographs, astronomers have observed a nearby K-type star designated HD 176986, known to host two super-Earth exoplanets. The observations resulted in the discovery of another planet in the system ...
Deep beneath the surface of distant exoplanets known as super-Earths, oceans of molten rock may be doing something extraordinary: powering magnetic fields strong enough to shield entire planets from dangerous cosmic radiation ...
Astrobiology
Jan 15, 2026
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Thanks to the discovery of thousands of exoplanets to date, we know that planets bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune orbit most stars. Oddly, our sun lacks such a planet. That's been a source of frustration for planetary ...
Astronomy
Jan 7, 2026
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A Carnegie-led team of astronomers detected the strongest evidence yet of an atmosphere around a rocky planet beyond our solar system. Their work, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, used NASA's JWST to reveal ...
Astronomy
Dec 28, 2025
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Researchers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have detected the strongest evidence yet for an atmosphere on a rocky planet outside our solar system.
Astronomy
Dec 11, 2025
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The discovery of a possible "super-Earth" less than 20 light-years from our own planet is offering scientists new hope in the hunt for other worlds that could harbor life, according to an international team including researchers ...
Astrobiology
Oct 23, 2025
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Using radial velocity measurements, an international team of astronomers has identified a second planet orbiting a nearby M-dwarf star known as Gliese 536. The newfound alien world turns out to be at least a few times more ...
Using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), an international team of astronomers has discovered a new super-Earth exoplanet that orbits a nearby M dwarf star. The newfound alien world, designated TOI-1846 b, ...
"Are we alone?" This ancient question has occupied humanity's mind for a long time. In 1995, the discovery of the first exoplanet orbiting a sun-like star opened the door to exploring this profound mystery.
Astrobiology
Jun 3, 2025
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