Exoplanet

Astronomers have discovered the intact, exposed core of a gas giant locked in a close orbit around a Sun-like star. The discovery will give astronomers a rare opportunity to probe the heart of an ancient alien world.

Given how big the universe is, chances are tiny that Earth is the only planet with life. But how would we find others? A new NASA grant has been awarded to try and do so by hunting for signs of advanced alien civilizations, or "technosignatures."

A team of international researchers has confirmed the existence of an Earth-like exoplanet only 4.2 light-years from the Sun. The ESPRESSO spectrograph found Proxima b has a mass of 1.17 Earths and orbits in the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri.

An international team of astronomers has found what may be the first images of a planet being born. Based on observations by ESO’s VLT, images of AB Aurigae show a "twist" in the surrounding cloud that indicates the presence of a planet being formed.

NASA has officially named its next planet hunter. Previously known as the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope, the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope is named after NASA’s first chief astronomer, who has often been referred to as the Mother of Hubble.

Using polarized light, astronomers have detected signs of cloud bands in the atmosphere of a brown dwarf far beyond the solar system. It turns out that these gassy giants have a similar appearance to Jupiter, and the same kind of wild weather.

Life continually outdoes expectations. A new study from MIT has found that E. coli and yeast can survive in an atmosphere made up of 100 percent hydrogen – and that could have fascinating implications for life on other planets.

Researchers have found that an exoplanet 456 light-years from Earth is so hot its atmosphere contains vaporized metals. Situated relatively close to its parent star, MASCARA-2 b is almost twice the size of Jupiter with a temperature of over 3,140 °F.

Exoplanet discoveries are a dime a dozen – but we don’t see many being de-discovered. Now, an exoplanet observed by Hubble for 10 years has apparently vanished without a trace, leading astronomers to suggest it may never have been a planet at all.

A review of early data returned by NASA's Kepler mission has revealed one of the most Earth-like exoplanet discovered so far. The new planet is slightly larger than ours, is estimated to have a similar temperature, and orbits in the habitable zone.

Astronomers may have found a world where it rains iron. The exoplanet is exposed to thousands of times the radiation that the Earth receives from the Sun, rendering the surface hot enough to vaporize metals that later fall as rain.

Astronomers have analyzed the atmosphere of a large exoplanet and found that it could have liquid water – and so possibly life – on its surface. This new study adds weight to the idea that habitable exoplanets don’t have to be strictly Earth-sized.