exoplanet

NASA’s Hubble Telescope accurately measured LTT 1445Ac, an Earth-sized exoplanet in a nearby triple star system. Initially discovered by TESS, this rocky planet is similar in size to Earth but much hotter. The research enhances our knowledge of exoplanets and their atmospheres. Credit: ESA/Hubble (M. Kornmesser & L. L. Christensen) Hubble Telescope confirms the size of Earth-like exoplanet LTT 1445Ac, offering new insights into its composition and the potential for further atmospheric study. Lots of planets around…

An illustration of two water-rich exoplanets with hazy atmospheres. Credit: Roberto Molar Candanosa/Johns Hopkins UniversityScientists have made a significant breakthrough in simulating hazy conditions on water-rich exoplanets, offering new insights into the challenges of observing these distant worlds in the search for extraterrestrial life.Researchers have successfully simulated conditions that allow hazy skies to form in water-rich exoplanets. This is a crucial step in determining how haziness muddles observations by…

A research team used the James Webb Space Telescope to explore the impact of increased CO2 on Earth and exoplanets. Their research found that CO2 additions cause more warming in areas without direct sunlight, affecting global circulation. This phenomenon is consistent on both Earth and TRAPPIST-1e, highlighting the importance of understanding greenhouse gases for exoplanet habitability and Earth’s climate. This study marks a significant advancement in exoplanetary science and climate research.A research team, utilizing…

If there's one chemical that causes excitement in the search for biosignatures on other worlds, it's methane. It's not a slam dunk because it has both biotic and abiotic sources.But finding it in an exoplanet's atmosphere means that planet deserves a closer look.Methane captures scientific attention mainly because of its short duration in a planetary atmosphere. Methane can't withstand starlight for very long, at least not in terrestrial atmospheres. It succumbs to photodissociation and needs to be replenished…

An artist’s rendering of the warm exoplanet WASP-80 b whose color may appear bluish to human eyes due to the lack of high-altitude clouds and the presence of atmospheric methane identified by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, similar to the planets Uranus and Neptune in our own solar system. Credit: NASANASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has detected methane in the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-80 b, a milestone in space exploration. This discovery, confirmed through advanced light analysis methods, sheds light on the…

Exoplanets are definitely a bit of a hot topic at the moment. Throw in a sprinkling of the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and you have the recipe for magic!I still cannot believe that we have discovered, yes actually discovered 5,539 exoplanets and there are more being confirmed every day! The first exoplanet was discovered in 1992 and now over five and a half THOUSAND planets around other star systems are known!A team of astronomers have been exploring one in particular, the enigmatic WASP-107b using JWST and have…

NASA’s Spitzer Telescope’s 2008 discovery of a unique protoplanetary disk around SZ Cha, with unusual ultraviolet radiation, was contradicted by the James Webb Telescope’s later findings of typical radiation levels. These conflicting observations, particularly the differing neon signatures, suggest a significant and previously unobserved change in the disk’s radiation exposure. This challenges current models of planet formation and necessitates further research.The contrast between the James Webb Space Telescope’s…

The chances of finding extraterrestrial life have improved slightly after NASA announced that its Hubble Space Telescope has confirmed the size of an Earth-sized exoplanet only 22 light-years from Earth, the nearest that passes in front of its star.Located in the constellation of Eridanus, the exoplanet LTT 1445Ac didn't seem much to write home about. It orbits LTT 1445A, which is one of the three red dwarf stars that make up the triple system of LTT 1445. When it was first discovered by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey…

Researchers using data from the Kepler Space Telescope have found that some exoplanets are shrinking due to loss of their atmospheres, likely caused by radiation from their cores. This discovery helps explain the observed size gap in exoplanets and indicates a significant atmospheric loss process different from the previously theorized photoevaporation.A new study could explain the ‘missing’ exoplanets between super-Earths and sub-Neptunes.Some exoplanets seem to be losing their atmospheres and shrinking. In a new study…

The Hubble Space Telescope just ogled an exoplanet passing in front of a star in a triple system, revealing the nearby world’s mass.Webb Telescope Images the Pillars of CreationThe world is named LTT 1445Ac, and it was discovered in 2022 by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). The world orbits a red dwarf star (one in a set of three) that is 22 light-years from Earth, in the constellation Eridanus. LTT 1445Ac shares its host star with two larger planets.TESS doesn’t have the optical resolution necessary to…