A team of scientists has directly imaged eight dim objects, including brown dwarfs, orbiting bright stars using the Gaia and GRAVITY instruments. This discovery marks the first time a brown dwarf has been directly observed so close to its host star. The research highlights the powerful synergy between Gaia’s ability to identify potential companion objects and GRAVITY’s ability to directly image them.
Scientists have discovered that an exoplanet previously thought to resemble Spock’s homeworld in Star Trek was likely an illusion caused by a jittery star. The supposed planet, orbiting a star known as Keid, was detected using the radial velocity method, which measures the subtle shifts in starlight caused by the gravitational pull of an orbiting planet. However, new high-precision measurements using the NEID instrument at Kitt Peak National Observatory revealed that the wobble was actually caused by pulses and jitters within Keid itself. The discovery highlights the challenges of detecting exoplanets using the radial velocity method and emphasizes the need for careful interpretation of data.
Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have revealed a surprisingly low concentration of methane in the atmosphere of WASP-107 b, a bloated exoplanet orbiting a star 200 light-years away. This discovery suggests that the planet’s extreme puffiness may be due to factors other than a massive reservoir of gas or a small, rocky core. Instead, intense heat generated by the planet’s highly elliptical orbit and tidal forces from its host star may be causing its atmosphere to expand.
Astronomers have identified a rare exoplanet, Gliese 12 b, located just 40 light-years away and classified as an “exo-Venus”. It is between the size of Earth and Venus and orbits its red dwarf star every 12.8 Earth days. The planet’s temperate nature, similar to Earth’s, makes it an ideal target for studying planetary atmosphere development. Researchers aim to determine if Gliese 12 b has an atmosphere and if it resembles Earth’s or Venus’s dense atmosphere, which will shed light on the divergent evolution of these two planets.
Astronomers have discovered an Earth-size planet, SPECULOOS-3 b, orbiting a red dwarf star 55 light-years away. The planet is tidally locked to its star, constantly exposed to intense radiation that has eroded away its atmosphere. Although not habitable for life as we know it, SPECULOOS-3 b provides a unique opportunity to study the geology and chemical composition of an airless, rocky exoplanet.
The vastness of space makes it unlikely that we are alone in the universe. Scientists are actively searching for signs of life beyond Earth, from our solar system to the most distant galaxies. This article explores 32 unique places where scientists have looked or hope to look for extraterrestrial life, including Neptune’s moon Triton, Mars, the exoplanet Kepler-186f, and even parallel universes.
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered that a scorching hot lava planet, believed to be composed of diamond, has grown a second atmosphere after its star destroyed its first atmosphere. Located in a nearby solar system, 55 Cancri e is a super-Earth planet about 8.8 times heavier than Earth and twice its diameter. It orbits its star, Copernicus, very closely, resulting in permanent day and night sides. The planet’s surface temperature reaches up to 4,200 degrees Fahrenheit, making life impossible on its surface.
The James Webb Space Telescope has provided groundbreaking information about exoplanet 55 Cancri e, including the discovery of a possible rocky planet atmosphere outside our solar system. Despite the planet’s inhospitable conditions, including a surface that is likely a bubbling ocean of magma, astronomers have long speculated about the potential for an atmosphere. Utilizing Webb’s NIRCam and MIRI instruments, researchers detected indications of a volatile-rich atmosphere containing carbon monoxide or carbon dioxide. They also observed that the planet’s dayside is cooler than expected, suggesting heat transfer to the cooler nightside, possibly through an atmosphere. The researchers theorize that the atmosphere may have formed from gases originating within the planet due to extreme temperatures potentially stripping away gases present during its formation.
Astronomers have detected a thick atmosphere around a rocky exoplanet known as 55 Cancri e, which is twice the size of Earth. The exoplanet, located 41 light-years away, is wrapped in a blanket of carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. The discovery, published in the journal Nature, suggests that other similar exoplanets with thick atmospheres could potentially support life.
Initial observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) hinted at the presence of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) in the atmosphere of a distant Earth-like planet, K2-18b. However, a new study suggests that the signal could be from methane clouds, casting doubt on the earlier claims of potential life detection. The study models the behavior of DMS in hydrogen-rich atmospheres and finds itunlikely that JWST could distinguish between DMS and methane in the specific wavelengths it examined. However, the team remains hopeful, as JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) may be more capable of detecting DMS and clarifying the planet’s composition.
