Data from the K2 mission reveals strong stellar magnetism in the TRAPPIST-1 system that hosts three potentially habitable planets, suggesting that those planets could be a less friendly place for life.
Astronomy
Apr 4, 2017
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Astronomers have found a system of seven Earth-sized planets just 40 light-years away. They were detected as they passed in front of their parent star, the dwarf star TRAPPIST-1. Three of them lie in the habitable zone and ...
Astronomy
Feb 22, 2017
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The search for life beyond Earth starts in habitable zones, the regions around stars where conditions could potentially allow liquid water – which is essential for life as we know it – to pool on a planet's surface. New ...
Astronomy
Feb 8, 2017
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An exotic binary star system 380 light-years away has been identified as an elusive white dwarf pulsar – the first of its kind ever to be discovered in the universe – thanks to research by the University of Warwick.
Astronomy
Feb 7, 2017
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(Phys.org)—A combined team of researchers from several institutions in Japan has found evidence that suggests Pluto's distinctive red spot may have developed after a massive collision with a comet or other object. In their ...
Red dwarf stars have proven to be a treasure trove for exoplanet hunters in recent years. In addition to multiple exoplanets candidates being detected around stars like TRAPPIST-1, Gliese 581, Gliese 667C, and Kepler 296, ...
Astronomy
Nov 11, 2016
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A group of citizen scientists and professional astronomers, including Carnegie's Jonathan Gagné, joined forces to discover an unusual hunting ground for exoplanets. They found a star surrounded by the oldest known circumstellar ...
Astronomy
Oct 21, 2016
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In August astronomers announced that the nearby star Proxima Centauri hosts an Earth-sized planet (called Proxima b) in its habitable zone. At first glance, Proxima Centauri seems nothing like our Sun. It's a small, cool, ...
Astronomy
Oct 11, 2016
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Two's company, but three might not always be a crowd — at least in space.
Astronomy
Sep 22, 2016
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Finding exoplanets is hard work. In addition to requiring seriously sophisticated instruments, it also takes teams of committed scientists; people willing to pour over volumes of data to find the evidence of distant worlds. ...
Astronomy
Aug 30, 2016
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