Exoplanets
- Astronomy
Scalding hot gas giant breaks heat records
KELT 9b’s sun blasts it with so much radiation that the planet’s dayside is hotter than most stars and its atmosphere is being stripped away.
- Astronomy
Magnetism disrupts winds on ‘hot Jupiter’ exoplanet
Simulations of HAT-P 7b’s magnetic field give clues to why the exoplanet’s winds blow both east and west.
- Planetary Science
Watery exoplanet’s skies suggest unexpected origin story
Compared with Neptune, HAT-P-26b’s atmosphere has few heavy elements, suggesting it formed differently than the ice giants in Earth’s solar system.
- Astronomy
Hydrogen volcanoes might boost planets’ potential for life
Volcanoes that spew hydrogen could increase the number of potentially habitable planets in the universe.
- Astronomy
Seven Earth-sized planets orbit nearby supercool star
A planetary system called TRAPPIST-1 has seven Earth-sized planets, three in the habitable zone, researchers report.
- Astronomy
Year in review: A planet lurks around the star next door
If people ever travel beyond the solar system, the newly discovered exoplanet around Proxima Centauri is likely to be a first stop.
- Astronomy
Readers unimpressed by Earth’s newest neighbor
Exoplanet fatigue, runaway fish and more in reader feedback.
- Astronomy
Proxima b deserves buzz, even if some didn’t notice
Editor in chief Eva Emerson discusses Earth's newest potentially habitable neighbor.
- Astronomy
Signs of planet detected around sun’s nearest neighbor star
A planet roughly the size of Earth orbits within the habitable zone of Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the sun.
- Astronomy
Kepler tally grows: 104 more exoplanets confirmed
Kepler space telescope adds another 104 planets to its growing census of worlds in our galaxy.
- Astronomy
Bulging stars mess with planet’s seasons
On planets orbiting rapidly rotating stars, the seasons can get a little strange.
- Astronomy
Young exoplanet found nestled close to its star
Scientists have found one of the youngest exoplanets ever, snuggled up close to its star.
