New Planets Found
- All
- News
-
NASA's Curiosity Rover Probes "Spiderwebs" On Mars. Here's What It Means
Curiosity rover's findings have raised new questions about the Red Planet's habitability and the potential for life beyond Earth.
-
NASA Juno Mission Uncovers Subtle Geometric Shifts That Challenge Existing Models of the Jovian Interior
Scientists have refined Jupiter’s size and shape using modern radio signal observations, finding the giant planet slightly smaller and more flattened than earlier estimates. Though the difference is only a few kilometres, researchers say it greatly improves models of Jupiter’s interior, gravity, and atmospheric structure, offering deeper insigh...
-
Venus May Hide a Vast Underground Tunnel Formed by Ancient Volcanic Eruptions, Scientists Say
Scientists analysing NASA’s Magellan radar data have identified signs of a vast underground lava tunnel on Venus. If confirmed, it would be only the second such structure found on the planet, challenging the belief that Venus is geologically inactive and opening new possibilities for studying its volcanic past.
-
Astronomers Successfully Weigh a Starless ‘Rogue Planet’ Drifting Through the Milky Way
Astronomers have precisely measured the mass of a rogue planet wandering through the Milky Way using a rare gravitational microlensing event. By combining observations from ground-based telescopes across three continents with data from ESA’s Gaia spacecraft, researchers determined the planet’s distance and found it to be about the mass of Satur...
-
Scientists Finally Identify What Drives Venus’s Fast Winds
A new study has identified the primary force behind Venus’s extreme superrotating atmosphere: a once-per-day thermal tide driven by solar heating. Using data from Venus Express and Akatsuki along with circulation models, researchers show that this daily tide transports most of the momentum that accelerates cloud-top winds to speeds over 100 metre...
-
Newly Found ‘Super-Earth’ GJ 251 c Could Be One of the Most Promising Worlds for Alien Life
A new super-Earth, GJ 251 c, has been found orbiting a nearby red dwarf star within its habitable zone. About four times Earth’s mass, it may host liquid water. Detected via the radial-velocity method using Penn State’s Habitable Zone Planet Finder, it’s a prime target in the search for life.
-
Plastic Pollution Threatens Human Health: Study
Ahead of the UN treaty on plastics, a new report in The Lancet journal on Monday has warned that plastic pollution is an underrecognized threat to the health of both humans and the planet, which must be addressed immediately.
-
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.
-
Uranus Found Emitting Internal Heat, Reviving Hopes for Flagship NASA Mission
Astronomers have discovered that Uranus emits 12% more heat than it receives from sunlight, contradicting past data from Voyager 2. The internal warmth likely comes from leftover energy in the planet’s core, offering clues to its tilt and interior structure. This unexpected heat has intensified calls for a flagship NASA mission to Uranus. Scienti...
-
James Webb Telescope Maps Fiery Atmosphere of Turbulent Exoplanet WASP-121b
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled the turbulent history of WASP-121b, a scorching exoplanet distorted by its star’s gravity. New atmospheric data reveals unusual molecules like silicon monoxide and methane, shedding light on the planet’s violent migration and extreme climate. These findings challenge current models and enhance un...
-
NASA's Curiosity Rover Probes "Spiderwebs" On Mars. Here's What It Means
Curiosity rover's findings have raised new questions about the Red Planet's habitability and the potential for life beyond Earth.
-
NASA Juno Mission Uncovers Subtle Geometric Shifts That Challenge Existing Models of the Jovian Interior
Scientists have refined Jupiter’s size and shape using modern radio signal observations, finding the giant planet slightly smaller and more flattened than earlier estimates. Though the difference is only a few kilometres, researchers say it greatly improves models of Jupiter’s interior, gravity, and atmospheric structure, offering deeper insigh...
-
Venus May Hide a Vast Underground Tunnel Formed by Ancient Volcanic Eruptions, Scientists Say
Scientists analysing NASA’s Magellan radar data have identified signs of a vast underground lava tunnel on Venus. If confirmed, it would be only the second such structure found on the planet, challenging the belief that Venus is geologically inactive and opening new possibilities for studying its volcanic past.
-
Astronomers Successfully Weigh a Starless ‘Rogue Planet’ Drifting Through the Milky Way
Astronomers have precisely measured the mass of a rogue planet wandering through the Milky Way using a rare gravitational microlensing event. By combining observations from ground-based telescopes across three continents with data from ESA’s Gaia spacecraft, researchers determined the planet’s distance and found it to be about the mass of Satur...
-
Scientists Finally Identify What Drives Venus’s Fast Winds
A new study has identified the primary force behind Venus’s extreme superrotating atmosphere: a once-per-day thermal tide driven by solar heating. Using data from Venus Express and Akatsuki along with circulation models, researchers show that this daily tide transports most of the momentum that accelerates cloud-top winds to speeds over 100 metre...
-
Newly Found ‘Super-Earth’ GJ 251 c Could Be One of the Most Promising Worlds for Alien Life
A new super-Earth, GJ 251 c, has been found orbiting a nearby red dwarf star within its habitable zone. About four times Earth’s mass, it may host liquid water. Detected via the radial-velocity method using Penn State’s Habitable Zone Planet Finder, it’s a prime target in the search for life.
-
Plastic Pollution Threatens Human Health: Study
Ahead of the UN treaty on plastics, a new report in The Lancet journal on Monday has warned that plastic pollution is an underrecognized threat to the health of both humans and the planet, which must be addressed immediately.
-
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.
-
Uranus Found Emitting Internal Heat, Reviving Hopes for Flagship NASA Mission
Astronomers have discovered that Uranus emits 12% more heat than it receives from sunlight, contradicting past data from Voyager 2. The internal warmth likely comes from leftover energy in the planet’s core, offering clues to its tilt and interior structure. This unexpected heat has intensified calls for a flagship NASA mission to Uranus. Scienti...
-
James Webb Telescope Maps Fiery Atmosphere of Turbulent Exoplanet WASP-121b
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled the turbulent history of WASP-121b, a scorching exoplanet distorted by its star’s gravity. New atmospheric data reveals unusual molecules like silicon monoxide and methane, shedding light on the planet’s violent migration and extreme climate. These findings challenge current models and enhance un...
