The (Proto) Planet: WISPIT 2b The Discovery: 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. […]
Category: Gas Giant Exoplanets
Discovery Alert: ‘Baby’ Planet Photographed in a Ring around a Star for the First Time!
The (Proto) Planet: WISPIT 2b The Discovery: 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. […]
NASA’s Tally of Planets Outside Our Solar System Reaches 6,000
The milestone highlights the accelerating rate of discoveries, just over three decades since the first exoplanets were found. The official number of exoplanets — planets outside our solar system — tracked by NASA has reached 6,000. Confirmed planets are added to the count on a rolling basis by scientists from around the world, so no […]
Discovery Alert: Scientists Spot a Planetary Carousel
The Planets KOI-134 b and KOI-134 c The Discovery A new investigation into old Kepler data has revealed that a planetary system once thought to house zero planets actually has two planets which orbit their star in a unique style, like an old-fashioned merry-go-round. Key Facts The KOI-134 system contains two planets which orbit their […]
Discovery Alert: Flaring Star, Toasted Planet
The Discovery A giant planet some 400 light-years away, HIP 67522 b, orbits its parent star so tightly that it appears to cause frequent flares from the star’s surface, heating and inflating the planet’s atmosphere. Key Facts On planet Earth, “space weather” caused by solar flares might disrupt radio communications, or even damage satellites. But […]
- Black Holes
- Dark Energy
- Dark Matter
- Earth-like Exoplanets
- Exoplanets
- Galaxies
- Gas Giant Exoplanets
- Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
- Neptune-Like Exoplanets
- Neutron Stars
- Stars
- Stellar-mass Black Holes
- Super-Earth Exoplanets
- Supernovae
- Terrestrial Exoplanets
- The Milky Way
- The Solar System
- The Universe
NASA’s Roman Mission Shares Detailed Plans to Scour Skies
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team shared Thursday the designs for the three core surveys the mission will conduct after launch. These observation programs are designed to investigate some of the most profound mysteries in astrophysics while enabling expansive cosmic exploration that will revolutionize our understanding of the universe. “Roman’s setting out to do […]
NASA’s Webb Images Young, Giant Exoplanets, Detects Carbon Dioxide
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured direct images of multiple gas giant planets within an iconic planetary system. HR 8799, a young system 130 light-years away, has long been a key target for planet formation studies. The observations indicate that the well-studied planets of HR 8799 are rich in carbon dioxide gas. This provides […]
NASA’s Webb Images Young, Giant Exoplanets, Detects Carbon Dioxide
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured direct images of multiple gas giant planets within an iconic planetary system. HR 8799, a young system 130 light-years away, has long been a key target for planet formation studies. The observations indicate that the well-studied planets of HR 8799 are rich in carbon dioxide gas. This provides […]