Extrasolar Planets: A Matter of Metallicity
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The 130 extrasolar planets discovered so far are in solar systems very different from our own, in which life-bearing planets like Earth are unlikely to exist. But an obscure characteristic of these planets and their stars has led astronomers to predict that our galaxy is brimming with solar systems like ours. The key to their prediction is something called metallicity.
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Largest extrasolar system to date Astronomers have spotted a fifth planet orbiting 55 Cancri, making the (relatively) nearby star the centre of the most populous extrasolar system to date, New Scientist reports.â¦
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The first precise measurement of a failed star known as a brown dwarf finds the object is much more massive than theorists expected. The result challenges what astronomers&nbsp;assumed about these strange things, which straddle the mass range between huge planets and normal stars.
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Astronomers have found the latest planet in another solar system â-r &quot;exoplanet&quot; â -ng telescopes no bigger than those you might find at a garage sale.
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Astronomers in Europe and the United States have found two new planets about 20 times the size of Earth beyond the solar system. The discovery might be a giant leap forward in
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AUSTIN, Texas &mdash; An extrasolar planet about one-fourth the heft of Jupiter might have formed from the collision and merger of two planets, astronomers announced today.
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A new spectrometer lets scientists learn more about the planet's chemistry.
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Astronomers have discovered a new class of planets that take less than a day to whiz round their parent stars.
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Hot, steamy star Somewhere in the universe, a solar system is forming. Whirling around the newly ignited stellar embryo is a disk of dust, gas, and rocks that will gradually settle down into a stable planetary system. And according to astronomers using the Spitzer space telescope, the natal cloud - the region where planets will form - is being deluged with water vapour.â¦
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A nearby star thought to harbor comets and asteroids now appears to be home to planets, too. The presumed worlds are smaller than Jupiter and could be as tiny as Pluto, new observations suggest.
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An astronomer at Penn State University is not certain whether the latest discovery in outer space is a planet or a failed star.
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For the first time, scientists have found rings of dust around planet-bearing stars an important confirmation of theories about how planets form, NASA has announced.
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Comment is free: Johnjoe McFadden: The location of a newly discovered planet is good news in the search for extraterrestrials.
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New observations of dust around young stars suggest collisions of large asteroid-like objects and fledgling planets are frequent. But that doesn&#39;t likely stop the formation
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New infrared observations of the disks of dust and rock around young stars reveal that many planets apparently form in an environment more violent and chaotic over a longer period of
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New observations of dust around young stars suggests collisions of large asteroid-like objects and fledgling planets are frequent. But that doesn't likely stop the formation of rocky planets like Earth, a process that may well be common, the results suggest.
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Observing the image of a faint object that lies close to a star is a demanding task as the object is generally hidden in the glare of the star. Characterising this object, by taking spectra, is an even harder challenge.