New Atlas

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Massive star may be the reason Earth isn't a waterworld

David Szondy February 11, 2019

Scientists have used computer models to show that our planet has a moderate climate and isn't an ocean world because there was a massive star in the vicinity of the primordial solar system that evaporated some of the water that otherwise would have been delivered to Earth as it formed.

Artist’s rendering of researchers’ simulations showing how planetary systems born in dense and massive star formation ...

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Hubble spots "hot Neptune" exoplanet that's evaporating at a record rate

Michael Irving December 13, 2018

A type of world dubbed a "hot Neptune" has been conspicuously few and far between in terms of exoplanet discoveries, but a new observation may explain why. Hubble has now spotted a hot Neptune named GJ 3470b that’s vanishing at a record rate.

An illustration of GJ 3470b, shrouded in a cloud of gas as its atmosphere is stripped ...

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Warm Neptune exoplanet atmosphere inflates to resemble a balloon

Anthony Wood December 7, 2018

An international team of astronomers has discovered that helium atoms are causing the atmosphere of a "warm-Neptune" exoplanet to expand like a party balloon before escaping into the cold expanse of space.

Artist's impression of an exoplanet with a helium-rich atmosphere

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ESA sets launch window for CHEOPS exoplanet space telescope

David Szondy November 28, 2018

ESA has announced the launch window for its next space telescope, the CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS). The unmanned exoplanet observatory will lift off atop a Soyuz rocket from Europe's spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana between October 15 and November 14, 2019.

The CHaracterising ExOPlanets Satellite (CHEOPS) at ESA's technical center

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Climate simulations forecast the weather on all seven TRAPPIST exoplanets

Michael Irving November 22, 2018

Among the almost-4,000 exoplanets found so far, none really capture the imagination like TRAPPIST-1. Now a team of astronomers led by the University of Washington has simulated the climates that could be found on each TRAPPIST world.

An artistic render of a temperate TRAPPIST-1 f, which could also be frozen or stifling under ...

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NASA shuts down Kepler, ending nine years of planet-hunting

David Szondy November 16, 2018

After nine years, NASA's exoplanet-hunting Kepler mission came to a final end Thursday as the space agency sent the radio commands ordering the onboard computer to shut down the unmanned space telescope's systems.

NASA's Kepler space telescope discovered thousands of planets outside our solar system, and revealed that our ...

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Newly-discovered "super-Earth" is second-closest exoplanet to our Sun

Anthony Wood November 14, 2018

Astronomers have discovered a super-Earth located just six light-years from our planet, orbiting the nearest lone star to our Sun. Named for its parent star, the exoplanet Barnard's Star b has a mass roughly 3.2 times that of the Earth, and has a frigid surface temperature of -170 °C (-274 °F).

Artist's impression of the newly discovered exoplanet orbiting Barnard's Star

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Could we – and should we – build a laser lighthouse to make first contact with aliens?

Michael Irving November 6, 2018

Whether there’s life beyond Earth is one of the most profound questions we can ask. Making ourselves easier to find could be part of our first contact strategy. A new MIT study outlines a way to use existing or near-future tech to build a kind of laser lighthouse to signal to our cosmic neighbors.

An MIT study proposes building a laser lighthouse to signal to alien astronomers up to 20,000 ...

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Australian observatory hunts Earth-like planets by watching for wobbling stars

Michael Irving November 1, 2018

A new exoplanet hunting tool has been installed onto an Australian telescope. Dubbed Veloce, the instrument looks out for the wobble of a star caused by the gravitational tug of orbiting planets, and it specializes in red dwarfs, the most common type of star in the universe.

The Anglo-Australian Telescope in Siding Spring Observatory is home to a new planet-hunting instrument

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Kepler mission ends after nine years of planet hunting

David Szondy October 30, 2018

The pioneering planet-hunting Kepler Space Telescope has finally reached the end of its service life and will be switched off permanently. NASA announced today that the aging, unmanned spacecraft has run out of the propellant needed to keep it from tumbling and must be retired.

Artist's impression of the Kepler Space Telescope