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Stories about: exoplanets |
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Extrasolar planets that once had liquid water on their surfaces could lose the chemical under the action of intense tidal and gravitational forces, a new study has determined. If that happens, all that is left is a barren, Venus-like world, which is incapable of supporting life. While the research is not really signi... |
11 February 2012
06:36 GMT |
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The list of conditions that need to be met for a planet to be considered habitable is now one item larger. Experts say that even exoplanets located in their stars' habitability zones may not be inhabitable if their axis have extreme tilts, such as Uranus'.
On Earth, a tilt of 23+ degrees, achieved more tha... |
9 February 2012
11:13 GMT |
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A team of astronomers at the Carnegie Institution for Science, in Washington, DC, announces the discovery of an extrasolar planet that is potentially habitable. In fact, this particular world is the most likely to support both liquid water and life of all the exoplanets that were confirmed thus far.
What's mor... |
3 February 2012
02:19 GMT |
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According to an announcement made by Russian officials, the Pulkovo Observatory will soon join the international hunt for extrasolar planets around distant stars. This installation is one of the largest and most complex Russian telescopes ever built, and is located on Pulkovo Heights, near Saint Petersburg.
The anno... |
2 February 2012
08:08 GMT |
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A team of researchers has just completed a new investigation on how our planet would have looked like to a distant observer during the time of the dinosaurs. What this means is that the experts sought to figure out precisely how bright our world appeared to potential aliens on extrasolar planets.
Rather than use cl... |
2 February 2012
06:11 GMT |
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Officials at the American space agency announce the discovery of a new series of extrasolar planets, this time organized in a number of star systems. Instances where multiple planets spin around the same star – such as is the case with the solar system – are not that common, apparently.
In fact, the new ... |
27 January 2012
03:08 GMT |
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A new study on the super-Earth-class extrasolar planet 55 Cancri e reveals that the alien world is not the extremely hot desert that astronomers first made it out to be. The exoplanet is apparently wetter than anyone believed, which makes it extremely weird.
The reason why experts were so surprised at the conclus... |
21 January 2012
05:44 GMT |
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Circumbinary planet systems (CBPS) are made up of one or more planets orbiting a binary star system. Until now, these were believed to be very rare, but recent discoveries from the NASA Kepler Telescope appear to indicate that millions of such systems may exist in our galaxy alone.
The planet-hunting telescope was ... |
12 January 2012
05:06 GMT |
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A six-year study conducted on millions of stars in the Milky Way has revealed that the vast majority of stars have extrasolar planets in orbit. Previously, it was thought that star systems with planets were the exception, but the new work proves beyond a doubt that they are the norm.
This is a very important findin... |
12 January 2012
04:38 GMT |
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Astronomers operating the NASA Kepler Telescope announce the discovery of not one, but three Earth-like planets in orbit around another star. Called KOI-961, the system is home to three worlds that are larger than Mars, but smaller than Earth.
Discovering such extrasolar planets is the primary reason why the Kepler... |
12 January 2012
03:33 GMT |
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An international group of astronomers announces the discovery of four new worlds. These extrasolar planets were confirmed in the first few days of the year, and represent a promising start for a year that shapes itself up to be excellent for such investigations.
Suffice it to say that we left 2011 with a total of 7... |
6 January 2012
10:49 GMT |
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Moons orbiting extrasolar planets may very well hold life, astronomers believe. That is why they are currently expanding their search for extraterrestrial intelligence to include exomoons, given that these celestial bodies are located at the right distance from their parent planets and their stars.
Exomoons have be... |
5 January 2012
09:20 GMT |
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When the first super-Earth-class extrasolar planets were discovered, astronomers proposed that some of them may be friendly to life, regardless of their size. In a new study, that enthusiasm is somewhat dampened, as experts learn that these worlds may lack a protective magnetic field.
The absence of such planetary d... |
28 December 2011
03:55 GMT |
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Just a few days ago, astronomers operating the Kepler Telescope announced the discovery of the first two Earth-like worlds orbiting close to their parent star. That news drowned out another, revealing the existence of two additional Earth-like exoplanets around a dying star.
What is interesting about these findings... |
27 December 2011
07:46 GMT |
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The NASA Kepler Telescope discovered two extrasolar planets, called KOI 55.01 and KOI 55.02, which orbit in very close orbit around their star, a hot B subdwarf. What is remarkable about these findings is that the stellar object passed its red giant phase.
This means that the star at one point began swelling up, sw... |
22 December 2011
05:03 GMT |
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Earlier today, I wrote a piece about the exoplanets Kepler-20e and Kepler-20f, which were found by the NASA Kepler Telescope about 1,000 light-years away. These objects, which you can now see in more detail, are the smallest exoplanets ever discovered.
In fact, one of them is smaller than Earth. Kepler-20e has a ra... |
21 December 2011
09:51 GMT |
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Experts handling the science data return of the NASA Kepler Telescope announced yesterday, December 20, that the observatory was able to identify the first exoplanets that are nearly identical to Earth in size. The worlds are not located in their parent star's habitable zone.
This is the second major discovery... |
21 December 2011
03:09 GMT |
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Investigators discovered that an extrasolar planet in the Beta Pictoris star system was responsible for a warping they had detected in the star's debris ring. At first, the team believed that the crookedness may have occurred as a result of a second exoplanet being present, but the new study shows that is not th... |
9 December 2011
11:02 GMT |
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The European Space Agency's (EAS) Gaia spacecraft has recently achieved an impressive milestone in its development, when its sunshield was deployed for the very first time. Mission controllers say that the probe remains well on track for a 2013 launch.
At first, the name Gaia stood for Global Astrometric Inter... |
8 December 2011
04:42 GMT |
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During the Kepler Science Conference held at the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), in Moffett Field, California, experts in charge of the mission said that the second batch of data the telescope sent back is unlikely to be its last. As such, we can expect it to discover even more exoplanets.
On December 5, the missi... |
7 December 2011
04:42 GMT |
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Analysts studying datasets relayed back by the NASA Kepler Telescope say that the number of false-positive results in the readings is very small. That is to say, there are very high chances that the vast majority of exoplanetary candidates the mission proposes will be confirmed. A false-positive result in this scen... |
6 December 2011
08:41 GMT |
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Scientists propose in a new study that certain extrasolar planets could be made out of diamond. Such worlds would most definitely be uninhabitable, since the conditions required to create this carbon compound are not exactly friendly to life.
Ohio State University expert Wendy Panero believes that a world made out ... |
6 December 2011
08:10 GMT |
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Astronomers operating the NASA Kepler Telescope announce the discovery of the first extrasolar planet orbiting inside its parent star's habitable zone. The object is called Kepler-22b, and can be found in an area of its star system where temperatures are just right to support the presence of liquid water.
This... |
6 December 2011
02:35 GMT |
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A team of experts handling the NASA Kepler Telescope recently announced the discovery of a new extrasolar planet, one that is so hot it could melt iron left unattended on its surface. The object, just 1.6 times larger than Earth, is located just 352 light-years away from the Sun.
It's not often that astronomers... |
2 December 2011
10:22 GMT |
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Astrobiologists say that naturally-occurring nuclear reactors may have contributed, or at least influenced, the development of life here on Earth. Since the constructs occur by themselves, it is entirely possible that they exist on extrasolar planets as well.
While the amount of data available on this issue is hazy... |
2 December 2011
08:58 GMT |
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A recent investigation of the 55 Cancri binary star system has revealed that five of the planets surrounding the largest star do somersaults in their orbits, over the course of millions of years. One of the gas giants leads the way, forcing the other four to follow suit.
The planet in question, called 55 Cancri d, ... |
1 December 2011
05:21 GMT |
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Hydrogen-rich atmospheres may be the key to having liquid water on the surface of a rocky exoplanet, even if the body is located up to 15 astronomical units from its parent star. A new study proposes that greenhouse effects can easily warm such a planet up to the point where it becomes habitable.
Having liquid wate... |
30 November 2011
04:58 GMT |
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Taking CoRoT-2b as a reference point for hot Jupiter-class planets everywhere, NASA experts recently created a new video, hypothesizing about how auroras would look like on distant worlds. This particular exoplanet is located about 880 light-years away from Earth.
However, it is located 97 percent closer to its par... |
28 November 2011
10:40 GMT |
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Some of the most interesting directions of research in astronomy include the discovery of extrasolar moons. But scientists say that finding extrasolar rings may also prove helpful in our quest for potentially-habitable ecosystems in space.
Astronomers know that exorings exist around distant worlds simply because ga... |
25 November 2011
06:56 GMT |
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If we are serious about searching for extraterrestrial intelligence, then we should significantly widen our area of research, say experts. They explain that most efforts are currently focused on worlds that look just like our own, and add that this approach is very limiting.
With recent studies showing that liquid ... |
22 November 2011
09:40 GMT |
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Astronomers are excited to announce that worldwide databases now contain the names and locations of more than 700 extrasolar planets. These catalogs contain everything from small, Earth-like objects to massive gas giants and hot Jupiters.
The first exoplanet was confirmed beyond any doubt back in 1992, and the pace... |
22 November 2011
08:56 GMT |
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According to investigators, it could be that our galaxy is filled with black holes that wander about, consuming whatever comes in their path. Such objects may also be consuming extrasolar planets, of which billions may exist throughout the spans of the Milky Way.
One of the most important things to keep in mind abo... |
15 November 2011
05:15 GMT |
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Astronomers using the NASA Spitzer Space Telescope were recently able to take a hard look at the extrasolar planet WASP-14b, and determine some of the most important characteristics of its atmosphere. The new findings are very important for understanding alien worlds.
One of the most interesting thing experts behind... |
15 November 2011
03:53 GMT |
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The Kepler Science Team will be hosting the First Kepler Science Conference ever between December 5-9, at the NASA Ames Research Center (ARC), in Moffett Field, California. The group will announce discoveries that were not included in the messages released since the last major update. At this point, the telescope i... |
8 November 2011
06:34 GMT |
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Two researchers recently published a new scientific paper, arguing that intelligent lifeforms on other planets could reveal their presence to use through the lights their cities emit. While the proposal has a lot of merit, it's also worth remembering that it operates on an important assumption.
In order for the... |
4 November 2011
03:26 GMT |
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Having already identified 1,235 exoplanetary candidates, the NASA Kepler Telescope has already proven its worth many times over. Officials at the American space agency are now considering methods of extending its mission by at least a few years.
At this point, the instrument is scheduled to be retired from active d... |
1 November 2011
08:09 GMT |
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According to the conclusions of a new study conducted by an international team of astronomers, it would appear that some of the weird, donut-shaped dust clouds observed around supermassive black holes may contain debris left behind by high-speed collisions between extrasolar planets and asteroids.
The violent cosmic... |
1 November 2011
07:08 GMT |
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The Dell’Osso Family Farm in Lathrop, California, is now the home of an impressive corn maze, which was created based on the NASA Kepler Telescope mission. The space observatory was created to detect extrasolar planets around a batch of around 150,000 stars in the Milky Way.
This new view of the corn field ... |
29 October 2011
16:01 GMT |
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Astronomers at the Pennsylvania State University (Penn State) announce the discovery of three extrasolar planets in the Sun's neighborhood. Each of these objects is orbiting a giant, dying star.
Using the Hobby-Eberly Telescope (HET), investigators recently scrutinized the stars HD 240237, BD +48 738, and HD 9... |
28 October 2011
03:52 GMT |
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Engineers constructing the successor to the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope say that the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) will also be able to detect exoplanets, in addition to being capable of seeing into the deepest corners of the Universe.
Since the US House of Representatives proposed cutting funds for the deve... |
26 October 2011
05:18 GMT |
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A group of astronomers from the University of Hawaii and the Australian Astronomical Observatory (AAO) announce the discovery of what may very well be the youngest extrasolar planet ever found.
The object is believed to be forming even at this point. Preliminary analyses indicate that the entire stellar system - w... |
25 October 2011
06:59 GMT |
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Officials from the American space agency have just released a new artist's concept of how a three-exoplanet star system would look like if centered on a red dwarf star. These stellar objects have a smaller mass than the Sun, and are also smaller in size.Astronomers have been focusing exoplanet search efforts on ... |
24 October 2011
18:31 GMT |
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Scientists have recently established that habitable zones around red dwarf stars are in fact about 30 percent larger than initially reported. A habitable (or Goldilocks) zone is an area around a star where temperatures are just right to support the existence of liquid water on the surface of an object. Earth lies rig... |
24 October 2011
10:59 GMT |
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Astrophysicists believe that extrasolar planets located in regions dense in dark matter could represent the last bastion life can occupy as the Universe grows old. Scientists say that these objects remain warm even if they are not accompanied by a parent star. Dark matter alone is enough to heat them. Therefore, tril... |
24 October 2011
05:49 GMT |
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Astronomers believe they may have just imaged the first extrasolar planet featuring an Earth-like, temperate climate. Such conditions are a must for the development of life, in addition to the existence of liquid water and the presence of a magnetosphere. Over the past couple of years, the number of exoplanets that a... |
22 October 2011
08:01 GMT |
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According to an astronomer at the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), in Greenbelt, Maryland, the presence of forming extrasolar planets around a young star can be detected by looking for spiral arms forming within the protoplanetary disk around said star.A protoplanetary disk is a circular structure forming aro... |
19 October 2011
10:59 GMT |
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Over the course of more than 20 years of observations, the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has collected a volume of data that is incomparable to any other, in terms of scope, diversity and detail. While browsing through these data, experts recently found two new exoplanets,The discovery indicates a potential new app... |
7 October 2011
00:51 GMT |
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Astronomers using the NASA Kepler Telescope have recently discovered several extrasolar planets in orbit around a nearby star, called Kepler-18. The three identified planets orbit closer to the surface of their parent star than Mercury does to the Sun.
The investigators were led by expert Bill Cochran, who is an ... |
5 October 2011
10:56 GMT |
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According to the conclusions of a new astronomical study, it would appear that as many as one third of all Sun-like stars out there have extrasolar planets in orbit, revolving around their stars within the habitable zone. This area allows for the existence of liquid water on the planetary surface.The new number was c... |
27 September 2011
21:31 GMT |
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Astronomers at the Princeton University and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) announce the discovery of the darkest extrasolar planet known to date. The object, called TrES-2b, absorbs more than 99.9 percent of all light shone on it.
The celestial body is more massive than Jupiter, which place... |
27 September 2011
07:56 GMT |
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