When it comes to exoplanets, astronomers have realized that they only know the properties of the planets they discover as well as they know the properties of the stars being orbited. For a planet's size, precisely characterizing ...
Astronomy
Sep 14, 2016
1
238
For much of Earth's four and a half billion years, the planet was barren and inhospitable; it wasn't until the world acquired its blanket of oxygen that multicellular life could really get going. But scientists are still ...
Earth Sciences
Oct 26, 2020
2
385
Small, cold stars known as red dwarfs are the most common type of star in the Universe, and the sheer number of planets that may exist around them potentially make them valuable places to hunt for signs of extraterrestrial ...
Astronomy
Feb 9, 2015
7
146
At this early stage in the search for extraterrestrial life in our solar system and beyond, the emphasis is on liquid water. Where it can exist on a planet's or moon's surface, so the thinking goes, life as we know it has ...
Astronomy
May 3, 2013
10
0
Rocky planets are probably a whole lot more common in our galaxy than astronomers previously believed—according to the latest release of Kepler Space Telescope data last week—a scenario that enhances the prospects for ...
Astronomy
Jun 29, 2017
3
247
If intelligent aliens visit the Earth, it would be one of the most profound events in human history.
Space Exploration
Dec 4, 2020
39
121
(PhysOrg.com) -- The "habitable zone" is the region around a star where a suitable planet could sustain the conditions necessary for life. Most astronomers take it to be the region where the balance between stellar radiation ...
Astronomy
Aug 22, 2011
20
1
We only have one example of a planet with life: Earth. But within the next generation, it should become possible to detect signs of life on planets orbiting distant stars. If we find alien life, new questions will arise. ...
Astronomy
Aug 27, 2015
10
165
(AP) -- Scientists have estimated the first cosmic census of planets in our galaxy and the numbers are astronomical: at least 50 billion planets in the Milky Way.
Astronomy
Feb 20, 2011
8
0
Mars may now be considered a barren, icy desert but did Earth's nearest neighbour once harbour life?
Space Exploration
Feb 18, 2021
1
66
