Scientists may need to rethink their estimates for how many planets outside our solar system could host a rich diversity of life.
Astronomy
Jun 10, 2019
30
3815
The GRAVITY instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) has made the first direct observation of an exoplanet using optical interferometry. This method revealed a complex exoplanetary atmosphere with clouds ...
Astronomy
Mar 27, 2019
7
1119
Since the Kepler Space Telescope was launched into space, the number of known planets beyond the solar system (exoplanets) has grown exponentially. At present, 3,917 planets have been confirmed in 2,918 star systems, while ...
Astrobiology
Mar 4, 2019
1
25
In recent years, the number of extra-solar planets discovered around nearby M-type (red dwarf stars) has grown considerably. In many cases, these confirmed planets have been "Earth-like," meaning that they are terrestrial ...
Astronomy
Jan 15, 2019
6
20
There are currently about fifty known exoplanets whose diameters range from Mars-sized to several times the Earth's and which also reside within their stars' habitable zone – the orbital distance within which their surface ...
Astronomy
Jun 29, 2018
0
128
Two independent teams of astronomers have uncovered convincing evidence that three young planets are in orbit around an infant star known as HD 163296. Using a new planet-finding strategy, the astronomers identified three ...
Astronomy
Jun 13, 2018
4
582
Fresh insight into how stars are formed is challenging scientists' understanding of the Universe.
Astronomy
Jun 4, 2018
0
154
Two research teams used a map from NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, SOFIA, to uncover new findings about stars forming in Orion's iconic Horsehead Nebula. The map reveals vital details for getting ...
Astronomy
Apr 5, 2018
1
97
A scientist from Siberian Federal University (SFU) and his colleagues from Austria and Germany constructed a physical and mathematical model of Mars- and Venus-sized planet formation. The team concluded that Mars had no chances ...
Space Exploration
Dec 18, 2017
0
23
Questions about how and when stars are formed continue to tug at human curiosity. Star formation is governed by gravity and heat. Gravity causes molecular clouds to collapse and eventually form stars and planetary systems, ...
Astronomy
Oct 11, 2017
0
13
