Discovery Alert: ‘Baby’ Planet Photographed in a Ring around a Star for the First Time!  – NASA Science

Discovery Alert: ‘Baby’ Planet Photographed in a Ring around a Star for the First Time!  – NASA Science

WISPIT 2b  Researchers have discovered a young protoplanet called WISPIT 2b embedded in a ring-shaped gap in a disk encircling a young star. While theorists have thought that planets likely exist in these gaps (and possibly even create them), this is the first time that it has actually been observed. Researchers have directly detected – … Read more

NASA’s Tally of Planets Outside Our Solar System Reaches 6,000 – NASA

NASA’s Tally of Planets Outside Our Solar System Reaches 6,000 – NASA

It’s been 30 years since the discovery of the first planet around another star like our Sun. With every new discovery, scientists move closer to answering whether there are other planets like Earth that could host life as we know it. NASA/JPL-Caltech The milestone highlights the accelerating rate of discoveries, just over three decades since … Read more

NASA Scientists Spot Candidate for Speediest Exoplanet System – NASA

NASA Scientists Spot Candidate for Speediest Exoplanet System – NASA

Astronomers may have discovered a scrawny star bolting through the middle of our galaxy with a planet in tow. If confirmed, the pair sets a new record for the fastest-moving exoplanet system, nearly double our solar system’s speed through the Milky Way. The planetary system is thought to move at least 1.2 million miles per … Read more

Discovery Alert: A Rare Glimpse of a Newborn Planet – NASA Science

Discovery Alert: A Rare Glimpse of a Newborn Planet – NASA Science

The massive planet, likely still glowing from the heat of its formation, lies in the Taurus Molecular Cloud, an active stellar nursery with hundreds of newborn stars some 430 light-years away. The cloud’s relative closeness makes it a prime target for astronomers. But while the cloud offers deep insight into the formation and evolution of … Read more

Does Distant Planet Host Volcanic Moon Like Jupiter’s Io? – NASA

Does Distant Planet Host Volcanic Moon Like Jupiter’s Io? – NASA

The existence of a moon located outside our solar system has never been confirmed but a new NASA-led study may provide indirect evidence for one. New research done at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory reveals potential signs of a rocky, volcanic moon orbiting an exoplanet 635 light-years from Earth. The biggest clue is a sodium cloud … Read more

Discovery Alert: With Six New Worlds, 5,500 Discovery Milestone Passed! – NASA Science

Discovery Alert: With Six New Worlds, 5,500 Discovery Milestone Passed! – NASA Science

In March 2022, NASA passed 5,000 confirmed exoplanets. Tis data sonification allows us to hear the pace of the discovery of those worlds. In this animation, exoplanets are represented by musical notes played across decades of discovery. Circles show location and size of orbit, while their color indicates the detection method. Lower notes mean longer … Read more

NASA’s TESS Finds Intriguing World Sized Between Earth, Venus – NASA Science

NASA’s TESS Finds Intriguing World Sized Between Earth, Venus – NASA Science

5 min read NASA’s Compact Infrared Cameras Enable New Science A new, higher-resolution infrared camera outfitted with a variety of lightweight filters could probe sunlight reflected off Earth’s upper atmosphere and surface, improve forest fire warnings, and reveal the molecular composition of other planets. The cameras use sensitive, high-resolution strained-layer superlattice sensors, initially developed at … Read more

Discovery Alert: a Long Year for a ‘Cold Saturn’

Discovery Alert: a Long Year for a ‘Cold Saturn’

The decades-long hunt for exoplanets – planets around other stars – has so far yielded more than 5,500 that are confirmed to be scattered across the Milky Way, which likely contains hundreds of billions. But the prevailing detection method turns up relatively few “long period” planets, those with years lasting 50 days or more. This … Read more

Discovery Alert: Glowing Cloud Points to a Cosmic Collision – NASA Science

Discovery Alert: Glowing Cloud Points to a Cosmic Collision – NASA Science

Even within our own solar system, scientists have seen evidence of giant, planetary collisions from long ago. Remaining clues like Uranus’ tilt and the existence of Earth’s moon point to times in our distant history when the planets in our stellar neighborhood slammed together, forever changing their shape and place in orbit. Scientists looking outside … Read more

Discovery Alert: Earth-sized Planet Has a ‘Lava Hemisphere’ – NASA Science

Discovery Alert: Earth-sized Planet Has a ‘Lava Hemisphere’ – NASA Science

Details: A team of astronomers analyzed this system using data from NASA’s TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite), which spots “transits,” or instances where planets cross in front of their star as they orbit, blocking a tiny piece of the starlight. Two planets had already been previously discovered in this planetary system, so to see what … Read more