EXTRA SOLAR

2,688 articles

Evidence discovered for two distinct giant planet populations
Jul 07, 2017 (SPX)
So far, more than 3500 planets have been detected orbiting solar type stars. Although recent results suggest that most planets in our Galaxy are rocky like Eart...
Odd planetary system around fast-spinning star doesn't quite fit existing models of planet formation
Jul 07, 2017 (SPX)
The observations that led to the discovery were made using the SPHERE instrument at ESO's very large telescope. The article describing the results has been acce...
A cosmic barbecue: Researchers spot 60 new 'hot Jupiter' candidates
Jul 07, 2017 (SPX)
Hot Jupiters constitute a class of gas giant planets located so close to their parent stars that they take less than a week to complete an orbit. Second-year Ph...
Re-making planets after star-death
Jul 07, 2017 (SPX)
The first planets outside the solar system were discovered 25 years ago - not around a normal star like our Sun, but instead orbiting a tiny, super-dense 'neutr...
Why Does Microorganism Prefer Meager Rations Over Rich Ones
Jul 04, 2017 (SPX)
The puzzle, which has no solution yet, is: Why would a microorganism thriving in a hot spring draw its energy from low-quality sources instead of rich ones? Sho...
Extreme Atmosphere Stripping May Limit Exoplanets' Habitability
Jul 04, 2017 (SPX)
Coronal mass ejections (CMEs) are huge explosions of plasma and magnetic field that routinely erupt from the Sun and other stars. They are a fundamental factor ...
Complex Organic Molecules Found On Space Hamburger
Jul 03, 2017 (SPX)
These molecules play a crucial role in producing the rich organic chemistry needed for life. The discovery suggests that the building blocks of life are produce...
NASA diligently tracks microbes inside the International Space Station
Jun 28, 2017 (UPI)
Traditionally, astronauts have helped NASA scientists track microbes for health and safety reasons. But more recently, astronauts and scientists are analyzing s...
NASA keeps a close eye on tiny stowaways
Jun 28, 2017 (JPL)
That generally is not a problem. For one thing, the space station is kept cleaner than many environments on Earth. Routine cleaning activities are included on a...
Could a Dedicated Mission to Enceladus Detect Microbial Life There
Jun 26, 2017 (SPX)
"We need a spacecraft to travel to Enceladus, fly through a geyser plume, and analyze the water that is immediately accessible," Geoffrey Marcy, a retired profe...
Finding new Earths: PLATO spacecraft to be built
Jun 22, 2017 (SPX)
After a three year definition phase following the mission's selection in 2014, PLATO is now fit for implementation. The launch is scheduled for the end of 2026....
New branch in family tree of exoplanets discovered
Jun 21, 2017 (SPX)
In a new Caltech-led study, researchers have classified these planets in much the same way that biologists identify new animal species and have learned that the...
Europe okays project to seek alien life
Jun 21, 2017 (AFP)
"The PLATO mission will address fundamental questions such as 'how common are Earth-like planets?' and 'is our solar system unusual or even unique?'," the Unive...
NASA releases Kepler Survey Catalog with 100s of new exoplanet candidates
Jun 20, 2017 (SPX)
This is the most comprehensive and detailed catalog release of candidate exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system, from Kepler's first four years ...
New Hunt for Earth-like Planets
Jun 20, 2017 (SPX)
Last year an international team of astronomers led by Dr. Guillem Anglada-Escude, of Queen Mary University of London (QMUL), discovered a planet around the clos...
NASA discovers 10 new Earth-size exoplanets
Jun 19, 2017 (AFP)
The Kepler mission team released a survey of 219 potential exoplanets -- planets outside of our solar system -- that had been detected by the space observatory ...
Astronomers Explain Formation of Seven Exoplanets Around TRAPPIST-1
Jun 13, 2017 (SPX)
The crux, according to the researchers from the Netherlands, is the line where ice changes to water. Near that ice line, pebbles that drifted from outer regions...
OU astrophysicist identifies composition of Earth-size planets in TRAPPIST-1 system
Jun 13, 2017 (SPX)
"The goal of exoplanetary astronomy is to find planets that are similar to Earth in composition and potentially habitable," said Quarles. "For thousands of year...
The Art of Exoplanets
Jun 09, 2017 (JPL)
Hurt, a visualization scientist at Caltech's IPAC center, was walking outside his home in Mar Vista, California, shortly after he learned of the discovery of th...
ALMA Finds Ingredient of Life Around Infant Sun-like Stars
Jun 08, 2017 (SPX)
Two teams of astronomers have harnessed the power of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array in Chile to detect the prebiotic complex organic molecule ...
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