Scientists have discovered a planet, named Barnard b, orbiting Barnard’s star, the closest star to Earth after Proxima Centauri. This sub-Earth planet, with a mass less than half of Venus, orbits its star extremely closely, completing a full orbit in just three Earth days. While exciting, its proximity to the star makes it unlikely to support life as we know it.
Astronomers have confirmed the existence of a planet, Barnard b, orbiting Barnard’s Star, a nearby red dwarf just six light-years away. This discovery, made using the ESPRESSO instrument on the Very Large Telescope, marks the first confirmed exoplanet around this star. While the planet is extremely close to its star, its surface temperature is surprisingly mild due to the star’s dimness. The researchers also detected hints of three additional potential planets in the system.
Astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a white dwarf, providing a glimpse of what Earth might look like billions of years from now. The planet, twice the size of Earth, orbits a dying star in a system located 4,000 light-years away. This discovery offers insights into the future of our solar system, as our Sun is expected to transform into a white dwarf in the distant future.
A new study reveals the presence of high-speed iron winds on the exoplanet WASP-76b, where temperatures reach 2,400 degrees Celsius, causing iron to vaporize and rain down as molten metal. This discovery sheds light on the extreme atmospheric conditions found on ultra-hot Jupiters and helps scientists understand planetary climates in greater detail.
This groundbreaking image, captured in 2004, revealed the first direct visual proof of a Jupiter-like planet orbiting a star in another solar system. It captured the exoplanet 2M1207b orbiting a brown dwarf, offering valuable insights into planet formation and the vastness of the universe.
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has captured images of Epsilon Indi Ab, an exoplanet located 12 light-years away from Earth. This exoplanet, one of the coldest ever observed, is a gas giant slightly more massive than Jupiter and orbits a star similar to our Sun.
The James Webb Space Telescope has directly imaged a cold gas giant exoplanet, Epsilon Indi Ab, located 12 light-years away. This rare observation is significant because most exoplanets are too small and dim to be directly imaged. The planet’s relatively cool temperature, just 35 degrees Fahrenheit, made it a suitable target for Webb’s sensitive infrared instruments.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, researchers have observed distinct temperature differences between the morning and evening sides of a distant exoplanet, WASP-39 b. This marks the first time such variations have been detected on a planet outside our solar system, highlighting Webb’s ability to probe atmospheric conditions on exoplanets.
Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet with an incredibly elongated orbit, swinging from close proximity to its star to a distance similar to Earth’s orbit. This extreme orbit provides a unique opportunity to study the effects of intense heating on a planet’s atmosphere and shed light on how hot Jupiter planets form.
A ‘hot Jupiter’ exoplanet called HD 189733 b, known for its scorching temperatures and molten glass rain, has been found to contain hydrogen sulfide, giving it a distinctive rotten egg smell. This discovery, made using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), sheds light on the composition of exoplanets and provides a stepping stone for understanding planetary formation. While HD 189733 b is unlikely to support life due to its extreme conditions, the presence of hydrogen sulfide suggests that similar molecules could be found on other exoplanets, potentially harboring life.
