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NASA Missions Uncover a Diverse Galaxy of Super-Earths, Raising New Questions About Planetary Evolution
Super-Earths are among the most common planets in the galaxy, yet none exist in our solar system. Larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, they range from ocean-covered worlds to scorched, atmosphere-less rocks. Some orbit within habitable zones, making them prime candidates for life. NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions, along with upcoming telesc...
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Habitable Zone Explained: The ‘Goldilocks Zone’ Where Life-Friendly Planets May Exist
The habitable zone, or “Goldilocks zone”, is the region around a star where conditions allow liquid water to exist. Varying with star type, this zone is key in the search for life. Earth’s location in the Sun’s habitable zone has made life possible, and astronomers seek similar rocky exoplanets in other systems to explore the possibility of...
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James Webb Telescope Detects Potential Gas Giant Exoplanet Just 4 Light-Years Away
Astronomers using JWST have spotted a possible gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A, only 4 light-years away. If confirmed, it would be the closest exoplanet to a Sun-like star ever imaged. The discovery could challenge current models of planetary formation in binary systems and open new opportunities for studying nearby worlds.
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Scientists Explore Role of Space Radiation in Powering Alien Microbial Life
A new study proposes that life may exist far from sunlight in a “radiolytic habitable zone” deep beneath the icy surfaces of Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. Cosmic rays, which can penetrate rock and ice, break water molecules apart to release hydrogen, oxygen, and energy-rich electrons. These can fuel microbes in subsurface water, much like bacter...
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New Rogue Planet Discovered in Hubble Data Using Einstein’s Gravity Theory
Astronomers discovered a rogue planet hidden in Hubble’s archival data using gravitational microlensing based on Einstein’s theory. The event, OGLE-2023-BLG-0524, lasted just eight hours and lacked signs of a host star, suggesting the planet might be truly free-floating.
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Is There Life Present On K2-18b Exoplanet? New Observations Provide Insights
Other researchers also analysed the same data using different statistical models and didn't find evidence for the presence of these molecules.
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Exoplanet 35 Light-Years Away Offers Hope for Life Beyond Earth
The exoplanet has a minimum mass 2.8 times that of Earth and has been categorised as a super-Earth.
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Doomed Exoplanet TOI-2109b Spirals Toward Its Star with Three Possible Fates
The gas giant TOI-2109b, over five times Jupiter’s mass, is spiraling closer to its star in a rare planetary death spiral. With a 16-hour orbit and blistering heat, the exoplanet could either plunge into its host star, be torn apart by tidal forces, or evolve into a rocky super-Earth through photoevaporation. NASA’s TESS and ESA’s Cheops data...
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Chandra Spots Distant Baby Planet Losing Its Atmosphere Under Intense X-ray Assault
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has captured a rare glimpse of TOI 1227 b, a young, Jupiter-sized exoplanet losing its atmosphere under intense stellar radiation. Just 8 million years old, the planet is shrinking rapidly as X-rays strip away its mass. Scientists warn it may become a barren rocky core in about a billion years.
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Young Exoplanet Spotted Shedding Atmosphere Under Stellar Radiation
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope have captured a dramatic cosmic event: a baby exoplanet, TOI 1227 b, is being stripped of its atmosphere by powerful X-rays from its host star. Only 8 million years old and orbiting a red dwarf, this Jupiter-sized planet is losing gas at a rate equal to Earth’s entire atmosphere every ...
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Astronomers Discover "Water-Rich Super-Earth" Twice As Big As Our Planet
Scientists have discovered a new "super-Earth" that is located about 154 light-years away and is nearly twice as big and four times as massive as our planet.
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A Planet with a Death Wish: How HIP 67522 b Is Forcing Its Star to Explode
NASA-backed astronomers have identified HIP 67522 b, a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting extremely close to its star, causing massive magnetic explosions. For the first time, a planet has been shown to trigger solar flares on its host star, highlighting a new era in exoplanet and stellar magnetic research.
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James Webb Telescope Captures First Direct Image of Saturn-Mass Exoplanet
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has reached a major milestone by capturing its first direct image of TWA 7 b, a newly discovered Saturn-mass exoplanet orbiting the young star TWA 7. Using a coronagraph to block starlight, Webb identified the planet embedded in the star’s dusty ring system. TWA 7 b is the smallest exoplanet ever imaged dir...
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New Habitability Model Helps Identify Which Alien Planets Might Be Able to Host Life
A NASA-developed model now enables scientists to estimate the likelihood of life on distant planets or moons using limited and uncertain remote-sensing data. By comparing habitat conditions with known lifeforms or hypothetical organisms, the framework offers a probabilistic tool to assess alien environments and improve telescope targeting in the on...
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'Strange' Planetary System With Unusual Orbit Intrigues Scientists
The planet was formed around four billion years ago and has a frigid atmospheric temperature of just minus 3 degrees Celsius.
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NASA Missions Uncover a Diverse Galaxy of Super-Earths, Raising New Questions About Planetary Evolution
Super-Earths are among the most common planets in the galaxy, yet none exist in our solar system. Larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, they range from ocean-covered worlds to scorched, atmosphere-less rocks. Some orbit within habitable zones, making them prime candidates for life. NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions, along with upcoming telesc...
-
Habitable Zone Explained: The ‘Goldilocks Zone’ Where Life-Friendly Planets May Exist
The habitable zone, or “Goldilocks zone”, is the region around a star where conditions allow liquid water to exist. Varying with star type, this zone is key in the search for life. Earth’s location in the Sun’s habitable zone has made life possible, and astronomers seek similar rocky exoplanets in other systems to explore the possibility of...
-
James Webb Telescope Detects Potential Gas Giant Exoplanet Just 4 Light-Years Away
Astronomers using JWST have spotted a possible gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A, only 4 light-years away. If confirmed, it would be the closest exoplanet to a Sun-like star ever imaged. The discovery could challenge current models of planetary formation in binary systems and open new opportunities for studying nearby worlds.
-
Scientists Explore Role of Space Radiation in Powering Alien Microbial Life
A new study proposes that life may exist far from sunlight in a “radiolytic habitable zone” deep beneath the icy surfaces of Mars, Europa, and Enceladus. Cosmic rays, which can penetrate rock and ice, break water molecules apart to release hydrogen, oxygen, and energy-rich electrons. These can fuel microbes in subsurface water, much like bacter...
-
New Rogue Planet Discovered in Hubble Data Using Einstein’s Gravity Theory
Astronomers discovered a rogue planet hidden in Hubble’s archival data using gravitational microlensing based on Einstein’s theory. The event, OGLE-2023-BLG-0524, lasted just eight hours and lacked signs of a host star, suggesting the planet might be truly free-floating.
-
Is There Life Present On K2-18b Exoplanet? New Observations Provide Insights
Other researchers also analysed the same data using different statistical models and didn't find evidence for the presence of these molecules.
-
Exoplanet 35 Light-Years Away Offers Hope for Life Beyond Earth
The exoplanet has a minimum mass 2.8 times that of Earth and has been categorised as a super-Earth.
-
Doomed Exoplanet TOI-2109b Spirals Toward Its Star with Three Possible Fates
The gas giant TOI-2109b, over five times Jupiter’s mass, is spiraling closer to its star in a rare planetary death spiral. With a 16-hour orbit and blistering heat, the exoplanet could either plunge into its host star, be torn apart by tidal forces, or evolve into a rocky super-Earth through photoevaporation. NASA’s TESS and ESA’s Cheops data...
-
Chandra Spots Distant Baby Planet Losing Its Atmosphere Under Intense X-ray Assault
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has captured a rare glimpse of TOI 1227 b, a young, Jupiter-sized exoplanet losing its atmosphere under intense stellar radiation. Just 8 million years old, the planet is shrinking rapidly as X-rays strip away its mass. Scientists warn it may become a barren rocky core in about a billion years.
-
Young Exoplanet Spotted Shedding Atmosphere Under Stellar Radiation
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope have captured a dramatic cosmic event: a baby exoplanet, TOI 1227 b, is being stripped of its atmosphere by powerful X-rays from its host star. Only 8 million years old and orbiting a red dwarf, this Jupiter-sized planet is losing gas at a rate equal to Earth’s entire atmosphere every ...
-
Astronomers Discover "Water-Rich Super-Earth" Twice As Big As Our Planet
Scientists have discovered a new "super-Earth" that is located about 154 light-years away and is nearly twice as big and four times as massive as our planet.
-
A Planet with a Death Wish: How HIP 67522 b Is Forcing Its Star to Explode
NASA-backed astronomers have identified HIP 67522 b, a Jupiter-sized planet orbiting extremely close to its star, causing massive magnetic explosions. For the first time, a planet has been shown to trigger solar flares on its host star, highlighting a new era in exoplanet and stellar magnetic research.
-
James Webb Telescope Captures First Direct Image of Saturn-Mass Exoplanet
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has reached a major milestone by capturing its first direct image of TWA 7 b, a newly discovered Saturn-mass exoplanet orbiting the young star TWA 7. Using a coronagraph to block starlight, Webb identified the planet embedded in the star’s dusty ring system. TWA 7 b is the smallest exoplanet ever imaged dir...
-
New Habitability Model Helps Identify Which Alien Planets Might Be Able to Host Life
A NASA-developed model now enables scientists to estimate the likelihood of life on distant planets or moons using limited and uncertain remote-sensing data. By comparing habitat conditions with known lifeforms or hypothetical organisms, the framework offers a probabilistic tool to assess alien environments and improve telescope targeting in the on...
-
'Strange' Planetary System With Unusual Orbit Intrigues Scientists
The planet was formed around four billion years ago and has a frigid atmospheric temperature of just minus 3 degrees Celsius.
