An Earth-like planet orbiting an M dwarf—the most common type of star in the universe—appears to have no atmosphere at all. This discovery could cause a major shift in the search for life on other planets.
Astrobiology
Oct 21, 2022
10
750
An international team of astronomers has discovered a new inflated "hot Jupiter" exoplanet as part of the Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS). The newfound alien world, designated NGTS-21b is about 30% larger and more than ...
NASA's InSight Mars lander has detected seismic waves from four space rocks that crashed on Mars in 2020 and 2021.
Planetary Sciences
Sep 19, 2022
0
258
Swirling around the planet's equator, the rings of Saturn are a dead giveaway that the planet is spinning at a tilt. The belted giant rotates at a 26.7-degree angle relative to the plane in which it orbits the sun. Astronomers ...
Planetary Sciences
Sep 15, 2022
3
396
Astronomers agree that planets are born in protoplanetary disks—rings of dust and gas that surround young, newborn stars. While hundreds of these disks have been spotted throughout the universe, observations of actual planetary ...
Astronomy
Sep 14, 2022
0
358
An international team of astronomers reports the discovery of two new "super-Earth" exoplanets orbiting a nearby late-type M dwarf star. The newfound alien worlds, designated LP 890-9 b and LP 890-9 c, are slightly larger ...
Strange diamonds from an ancient dwarf planet in our solar system may have formed shortly after the dwarf planet collided with a large asteroid about 4.5 billion years ago, according to scientists.
Planetary Sciences
Sep 12, 2022
0
369
Water is the one thing all life on Earth needs, and the cycle of rain to river to ocean to rain is an essential part of what keeps our planet's climate stable and hospitable. When scientists talk about where to search for ...
Astronomy
Sep 8, 2022
1
260
A new study has found that "diamond rain," a long-hypothesized exotic type of precipitation on ice giant planets, could be more common than previously thought.
Planetary Sciences
Sep 2, 2022
3
208
For the first time, astronomers have found unambiguous evidence of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of an exoplanet (a planet outside our solar system).
Astronomy
Aug 25, 2022
0
542
