Exoplanets | Astronomy.com

Astronomers find a planet forming around a young star

Michael E. Bakich — Wed, 03 Sep 2025 14:29:49 +0000

An international team of astronomers has made the unexpected discovery of a new planet. Detected at an early stage of formation around a young Sun-like star, the planet is estimated to be about 5 million years old and most likely a gas giant of similar to Jupiter. The study, Wide Separation Planets in Time (WISPIT),Continue reading "Astronomers find a planet forming around a young star"

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Earth-sized TRAPPIST-1 d does not have an Earth-like atmosphere

Brooks Mendenhall — Wed, 20 Aug 2025 13:56:24 +0000

Recent observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) delivered a blow to hopes that the exoplanet TRAPPIST-1 d could be an Earth-like world, according to a new study published in The Astrophysical Journal. The data reveal that the rocky, Earth-sized planet does not possess a thick, Earth-like atmosphere. The finding is critical because aContinue reading "Earth-sized TRAPPIST-1 d does not have an Earth-like atmosphere"

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Webb telescope discovers potential new world in neighboring star system

Brooks Mendenhall — Fri, 08 Aug 2025 17:36:29 +0000

A whole new world next door A team of astronomers has found evidence of a candidate gas giant planet orbiting Alpha Centauri A, a Sun-like star in the closest stellar system to our own. Initial observations hinting at the planet’s existence were made in August 2024 using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).Continue reading "Webb telescope discovers potential new world in neighboring star system"

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The search for biosignatures in the Milky Way

Theo Nicitopoulos — Fri, 01 Aug 2025 16:00:00 +0000

The next time you look at a star, imagine a rocky planet orbiting at just the right distance for a climate that supports liquid water on its surface. Picture thick forests upon vast landscapes teeming with wildlife. Or consider a water world devoid of land where strange marine life swims beneath a hydrogen sky. MaybeContinue reading "The search for biosignatures in the Milky Way"

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New study revisits signs of life on K2-18 b

Brooks Mendenhall — Wed, 30 Jul 2025 18:52:11 +0000

Astronomers have long sought signs of life beyond Earth, with exoplanets like K2-18 b — a world about 124 light-years away — offering tantalizing possibilities. In 2023 and again in April 2025, a team using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) detected molecules in K2-18 b’s atmosphere they claimed could be a biosignature: dimethyl sulfideContinue reading "New study revisits signs of life on K2-18 b"

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Astronomers see a new solar system forming for the first time

Michael E. Bakich — Wed, 16 Jul 2025 15:02:08 +0000

A newborn planetary system is forming around HOPS-315, a protostar (one that recently formed) that sits some 1,300 light-years away in the constellation Orion the Hunter. This star isn’t in the star-forming region known as the Orion Nebula, however. It lies in a region of space known as the L1630 molecular cloud. Astronomers often seeContinue reading "Astronomers see a new solar system forming for the first time"

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JWST snaps image of Saturn-mass exoplanet

Michael E. Bakich — Wed, 25 Jun 2025 15:13:14 +0000

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured a direct image of a previously unknown exoplanet. This discovery was the direct result of research led by a scientist at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) in Paris. The details, published June 25, 2025, in Nature, note that this a first for the telescope andContinue reading "JWST snaps image of Saturn-mass exoplanet"

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These five famous stars in the sky host exoplanets — observe them tonight

Stephen James O'Meara — Mon, 12 May 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Just a few decades ago, when we glanced skyward, we didn’t know for certain whether any star visible to the naked eye hosts planets like our own. Now, NASA scientists estimate that, on average, there may be at least one planet for every star in the Milky Way. That’s billions of extrasolar planets in ourContinue reading "These five famous stars in the sky host exoplanets — observe them tonight"

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JWST reveals secrets of a sub-Neptune exoplanet

Samantha Hill — Wed, 07 May 2025 18:21:25 +0000

Beyond our solar system, sub-Neptunes — gassy planets larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune — reign as the most common type of exoplanet observed in our galaxy. Despite their prevalence, no such planets exist around our Sun, so these worlds have remained shrouded in mystery. NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) recently observed exoplanetContinue reading "JWST reveals secrets of a sub-Neptune exoplanet"

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How much evidence do scientists need to claim they’ve found alien life?

Daniela Mata — Fri, 02 May 2025 19:51:00 +0000

The detection of life beyond Earth would be one of the most profound discoveries in the history of science. The Milky Way galaxy alone hosts hundreds of millions of potentially habitable planets. Astronomers are using powerful space telescopes to look for molecular indicators of biology in the atmospheres of the most Earth-like of these planets.Continue reading "How much evidence do scientists need to claim they’ve found alien life?"

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