Exoplanets

  1. Astronomy

    TESS has found the first-ever ‘ultrahot Neptune’

    NASA’s TESS telescope has spotted a world that could be a bridge between other types of exoplanets: hot Jupiters and scorched Earths.

    By Lisa Grossman
  2. Astronomy

    Gaps in gas disks around stars may not always mark newborn planets

    New research has prompted a rethink of the theory that gaps in planet-forming disks around young stars mark spaces where planets are being created.

    By Lisa Grossman
  3. Astronomy

    Moons that escape their planets could become ‘ploonets’

    If giant planets in other star systems lose their moons, the freed objects could become “ploonets,” and current telescopes may be able to find them.

    By Lisa Grossman
  4. Astronomy

    A new algorithm finds nearby stars that could host hidden worlds

    An algorithm dubbed “Netflix for exoplanets” identified more than 350 stars that, based on their chemistry, might have planets orbiting out of sight.