Watery planets beyond the Solar System may be more common than previously thought, making up 35 percent of exoplanets two to four times the size of the Earth. According to a new study, many planets are made up of half water by mass as opposed to the 0.02 percent water that the Earth has.
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The ASTERIA satellite has claimed the first exoplanet to be detected by a CubeSat. It was able to accurately measure the transit light curve of 55 Cancri e as it passed in front of its parent star.
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With surface temperatures of up to 4,327° C (7,820° F), exoplanet KELT-9b is hotter than many stars – and, according to a new discovery, hot enough to vaporize heavy metals. Researchers have now detected iron and titanium vapor in KELT-9b’s atmosphere.
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An experimental exoplanet-huntingCubeSat called the Arcsecond Space Telescope Enabling Research in Astrophysics (ASTERIA) mission has received the Small Satellite Mission of the Year award for "demonstrat[ing] a significant improvement in the capability of small satellites."
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A brown dwarf was recently downgraded to planet status (albeit a huge one), and now astronomers have discovered that it generates an enormous magnetic field, which could provide a new tool in the search for exoplanets.
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A team of scientists from Cornell University has created a reference catalog detailing the “light-fingerprints” of worlds orbiting our Sun, in the hope that it will help future telescopes to uncover the true natures of distant exoplanets.
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NASA's next-generation exoplanet hunter began its science mission this week. On July 25, TESS got to work on its two-year whole-sky survey to seek out planets outside our solar system by looking at the nearest and brightest stars for signs of changes in their brightness.
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A rocky planet with Earth-like temperatures just 11 light years away from us caused quite a stir when it was discovered last year. Scientists continuing to poke around this pocket of the universe are continuing to unravel its mysteries, with new findings shedding further light on its composition.
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Astronomers have snapped the first confirmed image of a planet still in the process of forming. The newborn, named PDS 70b, was spotted by the ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) as a bright splotch in the cloud of dust surrounding a young star.
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When looking for exoplanets that could potentially support life, astronomers start with those orbiting within the “habitable zone." A new study has found that two of the most promising planets are now even more promising, with axial tilts that likely give them regular seasons and a stable climate.
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