http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/extrasolar_planets/ Extrasolar Planet News. Astronomers discover extrasolar planets in a nearby star system. Could extrasolar planets support life? Images, full-text articles. Free. en-us Mon, 12 May 2008 03:05:01 EDT Mon, 12 May 2008 03:05:01 EDT 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/space_time/extrasolar_planets/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424092743.htm Astronomers are looking to identify Earth-like watery worlds circling distant stars from a glint of light seen through an optical space telescope and a newly developed mathematical method. Sat, 26 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080424092743.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415101016.htm By studying in great detail the 'ringing' of a planet-harboring star, a team of astronomers have shown that it must have drifted away from the metal-rich Hyades cluster. This discovery has implications for theories of star and planet formation, and for the dynamics of our Milky Way. Thu, 17 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415101016.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410101146.htm An international team of astronomers has discovered the coldest brown dwarf star ever observed. This finding, to be published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, is a new step toward filling the gap between stars and planets. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080410101146.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409113958.htm Astronomers have discovered a possible terrestrial-type planet orbiting a star in the constellation of Leo. The new planet, which lies at a distance of 30 light years from the Earth, has a mass five times that of our planet but is the smallest found to date. One full day on the new planet would be equivalent to three weeks on Earth. Thu, 10 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080409113958.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401153910.htm Astronomers have found a clutch of jets from newborn brown dwarfs, bringing the total of these intriguing objects found to 4. New stars form in cold clouds of gas and dust. These so-called stellar nurseries are not only home to forming stars (protostars) but also harbour forming brown dwarfs. Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401153910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402201541.htm Using a revolutionary new camera, UK astronomers have a real chance of being the first to find Earth-like planets around other stars. Since the early 1990s, astronomers have found more than 200 planets in orbit around stars other than our Sun (so-called 'extrasolar' planets). These have been detected through two techniques that are particularly sensitive to massive planets in orbit close to their parent star. Thu, 03 Apr 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402201541.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402153613.htm Using radio observatories in the UK and US and computer simulations, a team of astronomers have identified the youngest forming planet yet seen. "The new object, designated HL Tau b, is the youngest planetary object ever seen and is just 1 percent as old as the young planet found in orbit around the star TW Hydrae that made the news last year. HL Tau b gives a unique view of how planets take shape, because the VLA image also shows the parent disk material from which it formed," one of the astronomers said. Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402153613.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401095218.htm An international team of astronomers called "SuperWASP" has found 10 new "extra solar" planets, planets that orbit stars other than our sun. The team used a system of robotic cameras that yield a great deal of information about these other worlds, some of which are quite exotic. The flood of new discoveries from SuperWASP will revolutionize understanding of how planets form. Tue, 01 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080401095218.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326123135.htm Astrophysicists have a new window into the formation of planets. Astronomers have imaged a structure within the disk of material coalescing from the gas and dust cloud surrounding a well-studied star, AB Aurigae. Within that structure, it appears that an object is forming, either a small body currently accreting dust or a brown dwarf (a body intermediate between stars and planets) between 5 and 37 times the mass of Jupiter. Wed, 26 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326123135.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319140759.htm The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has made the first detection ever of an organic molecule in the atmosphere of a planet orbiting another star. This breakthrough is an important step in eventually identifying signs of life on a planet outside our Solar System. Wed, 19 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080319140759.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080307121613.htm A rocky planet similar to Earth may be orbiting one of our nearest stellar neighbors and could be detected using existing techniques, according to astronomers. The closest stars to our Sun are in the three-star system called Alpha Centauri, a popular destination for interstellar travel in works of science fiction. Computer simulations of planet formation show that terrestrial planets are likely to have formed around the star Alpha Centauri B and to be orbiting in the "habitable zone" where liquid water can exist on the planet's surface. Such planets could be observed using a dedicated telescope. Fri, 07 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080307121613.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226160017.htm A mega-collision between two large embryonic planets could have created Venus as we know it, according to a new paper by a Cardiff University scientist. Venus is a sister planet to Earth. It is nearly the same size and density yet it has a surface temperature of 720 K, an atmosphere dominated by carbon dioxide and no evidence of oceans or ridges. It has been described as "Earth's evil twin". Wed, 27 Feb 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080226160017.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214144532.htm Astronomers have discovered two planets that resemble smaller versions of Jupiter and Saturn in a solar system nearly 5,000 light years away. The find suggests that our galaxy hosts many planetary systems like our own. The newly-discovered planets appear to be gaseous planets like Jupiter and Saturn -- only about 80 percent as big -- and they orbit a star about half the size of the sun. The star is dim and cold compared to ours, issuing only five percent as much light. Still, the new solar system appears to be a smaller analog of our own. The larger planet is about as massive compared to its star as Jupiter is to ours. The smaller planet shares a similar mass ratio with Saturn. Fri, 15 Feb 2008 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080214144532.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080112152249.htm Astronomers have announced that a mystery object orbiting a star 170 light-years from Earth might have formed from the collision and merger of two protoplanets. The object, known as 2M1207B, has puzzled astronomers since its discovery because it seems to fall outside the spectrum of physical possibility. Its temperature, luminosity, age, and location do not match up with any theory. Thu, 17 Jan 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080112152249.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071220133446.htm The space-borne telescope, COROT (Convection, Rotation and planetary Transits), has just completed its first year in orbit. The observatory has brought in surprises after over 300 days of scientific observations. Thu, 03 Jan 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071220133446.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080103132303.htm Astronomers have found the first indications of highly complex organic molecules in the disk of red dust surrounding a distant star. The eight-million-year-old star, known as HR 4796A, is inferred to be in the late stages of planet formation, suggesting that the basic building blocks of life may be common in planetary systems. Thu, 03 Jan 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080103132303.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071226225432.htm For the first time ever, astronomers have detected and monitored the visible light that is scattered in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. Employing techniques similar to how Polaroid sunglasses filter away reflected sunlight to reduce glare, the team of scientists were able to extract polarized light to enhance the faint reflected starlight 'glare' from an exoplanet. Fri, 28 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071226225432.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071215203737.htm The Deep Impact spacecraft is heading to Comet Hartley 2 on a two-part extended mission known as EPOXI. The spacecraft will fly by Earth on New Year's Eve at the beginning of a more than two-and-a-half-year journey to Hartley 2. The EPOXI mission is actually two new missions in one. During the first six months of the journey to Hartley 2, the Extrasolar Planet Observations and Characterization (EPOCh) mission will use the larger of the two telescopes on the Deep Impact spacecraft to search for Earth-sized planets around five stars selected as likely candidates for such planets. Sun, 16 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071215203737.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213101403.htm In April, a European team of astronomers announced the discovery of two possibly habitable Earth-like planets. Two new detailed studies of this system confirm that one of the planets might indeed be located within the habitable zone around the star Gliese 581. More than 10 years after the discovery of the first extrasolar planet, astronomers have now discovered more than 250 of these planets. Fri, 14 Dec 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071213101403.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211094914.htm The NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope has given astronomers a fascinating new insight into the atmosphere of a planet in orbit around another star. The observations provide evidence of the presence of hazes in the atmosphere of the planet HD 189733b. Wed, 12 Dec 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211094914.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071205131158.htm Astronomers have identified the point at which a star causes the atmosphere of an orbiting gas giant to become critically unstable. Depending upon their proximity to a host star, giant Jupiter-like planets have atmospheres which are either stable and thin, or unstable and rapidly expanding. The research enables us to work out whether planets in other systems are stable or unstable by using a 3-D model to characterize their atmospheres. Fri, 07 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071205131158.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106133058.htm A record-breaking fifth planet has been discovered around 55 Cancri, a yellowish star 41 lightyears from Earth and now the only known star apart from the Sun with 5 planets. The discovery implies that the star has more planets that are smaller than the gas giants found so far and possibly include a rocky, Earth-like planet. Tue, 06 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071106133058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071105150909.htm Three new extrasolar planets have been discovered. The planets orbit around stars similar to our Sun that are located at a distance of 850 light-years away from the Earth. Two are in the constellation of Phoenix visible only from the Southern hemisphere, while the third is in the Northern constellation of Lyra. Mon, 05 Nov 2007 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071105150909.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071003130744.htm An Earth-like planet is likely forming 424 light-years away in a star system called HD 113766, say astronomers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope. Scientists have discovered a huge belt of warm dust – enough to build a Mars-size planet or larger – swirling around a distant star that is just slightly more massive than our sun. Thu, 04 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071003130744.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071001120430.htm Astronomers are pointing to three nearby stars they say may hold "embryonic planets" -- a missing link in planet-formation theories. As scientists try to piece together how our own planet came to be, they look to the forming planets of other star systems for clues. But astronomers have been unable to find evidence for one of the key stages of planet development, a period early in the planet's formation when it is only as large as tiny Pluto. Tue, 02 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/10/071001120430.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070923193641.htm Astronomers have identified the oldest planet yet discovered. This planet holds clues to our solar system's distant future as it orbits a dying sun. The discovery suggests that earth, which is at a distance from the sun comparable to the distance of V391 Peg b from its sun, may be able to survive an apocalypse in 5 billion years time, when our sun runs out of hydrogen fuel and starts swelling into a red giant. Thu, 27 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070923193641.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070924132510.htm In the Star Wars movies fictional planets are covered with forests, oceans, deserts, and volcanoes. But new models begin to describe an even wider range of Earth-size planets that astronomers might actually be able to find in the near future. Tue, 25 Sep 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070924132510.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912130828.htm Astronomers have discovered a planet orbiting a star near the end of its life. The news provides a preliminary picture of what could be the Earth's destiny in four to five billion years. That's when the sun will exhaust its hydrogen fuel, expand enormously as a red giant and expel its outer layers in an explosive helium flash. Fri, 14 Sep 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070912130828.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070816214820.htm The chemical fingerprint of a burned-out star indicates that Earth-like planets may not be rare in the universe and could give clues to what our solar system will look like when our sun dies and becomes a white dwarf star some five billion years from now. Astronomers report that a white dwarf star known as GD 362, which is surrounded by dusty rings similar to those of Saturn, has been contaminated by a large asteroid that left more than a dozen observable chemical elements in the white dwarf's atmosphere. Such an observation is unprecedented in astronomy. Was there some kind of violent interaction between the star and the asteroid? Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070816214820.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070815174450.htm A new ultraviolet mosaic from NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer shows a speeding star that is leaving an enormous trail of "seeds" for new solar systems. The star, named Mira (pronounced my-rah) after the latin word for "wonderful," is shedding material that will be recycled into new stars, planets and possibly even life as it hurls through our galaxy. Thu, 16 Aug 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070815174450.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070806121128.htm Astronomers with the Transatlantic Exoplanet Survey just announced discovery of TrES-4, a new extrasolar planet in the constellation Hercules. According to the lead author, TrES-4 is the largest known exoplanet. It is 70 percent bigger than Jupiter with an extremely low density. The new planet, first noticed by the PSST at Lowell Observatory also has an unusual subgiant host star. Mon, 06 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070806121128.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070802182031.htm A planet orbiting a giant red star has been discovered by an astronomy team led by Penn State's Alex Wolszczan, who in 1992 discovered the first planets ever found outside our solar system. The new discovery is helping astronomers to understand what will happen to the planets in our solar system when our sun becomes a red-giant star, expanding so much that its surface will reach as far as Earth's orbit. Fri, 03 Aug 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/08/070802182031.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070716133526.htm A new study finds that diamonds probably don't crystallize in the atmospheres of planets such as Uranus and Neptune. The conclusion is contrary to recent speculation that small diamonds would spontaneously form in carbon rich layers of the gas giant planets. White dwarf stars, according to the study, are veritable diamond factories. Mon, 16 Jul 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070716133526.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070711134332.htm Astronomers who used powerful telescopes in Arizona and Chile in a survey for planets around nearby stars have discovered that extrasolar planets more massive than Jupiter are extremely rare in other outer solar systems. Fri, 13 Jul 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070711134332.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070706131032.htm Two NASA spacecraft now have new assignments after successfully completing their missions. The duo will make new observations of comets and characterize extrasolar planets. Stardust and Deep Impact will use their flight-proven hardware to perform new, previously unplanned, investigations. Tue, 10 Jul 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070706131032.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070709093900.htm Looking at the chemical composition of stars that host planets, astronomers have found that while dwarf stars often show iron enrichment on their surface, giant stars do not. The astronomers think that the planetary debris falling onto the outer layer of the star produces a detectable effect in a dwarf star, but this pollution is diluted by the giant star and mixed into its interior. Tue, 10 Jul 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/07/070709093900.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619125635.htm 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. Still, thanks to a new ESO imaging spectrograph, this is now feasible, paving the way to many new thrilling discoveries. Fri, 22 Jun 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619125635.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619125647.htm The world is abuzz with the discovery of an extrasolar, Earthlike planet around the star Gliese 581 that is relatively close to our Earth at 20 light years away in the constellation Libra. Scientists have worked on computer models that can provide hints to what comprises the atmosphere of such planets and better-known celestial bodies in our own solar system. Thu, 21 Jun 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619125647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619125653.htm Scientists seeking clues to life on extrasolar planets are studying various biosignatures found in light leaking out to Earth to speculate on what kind of photosynthesis might occur up there and what plants might look like. Wed, 20 Jun 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070619125653.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070613102123.htm A young star's strange elliptical ring of dust likely heralds the presence of an undiscovered Neptune-sized planet according to astronomers. Stars in the early stages of life are surrounded by dust clouds that thin out and dissipate as the star reaches maturity, becoming rings in their final stages. One star, however, has a dust ring that has long puzzled astronomers because it is not centered around the star as usual. Instead, the ring is elliptical, with the parent star off to one side. Thu, 14 Jun 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070613102123.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070608155801.htm "Boring" light from red dwarf star Gliese 581 means better odds for extraterrestrial life in that planetary system, according to University of British Columbia astronomer Jaymie Matthews. Approximately 20.5 light years from the Earth, Gliese 581 made the headlines in April 2007 when European scientists discovered a planet, named Gliese 581c. Dubbed "SuperEarth," the planet orbits Gliese 581 and could have water -- and thus able to support life. Sat, 09 Jun 2007 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/06/070608155801.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070531114321.htm A team of astronomers with the Transatlantic Exoplanet Survey have announced the discovery of their third planet, TrES-3. TrES-3 was discovered in the constellation Hercules about 10 degrees west of Vega, the brightest star in the summer skies. It is an unusual planet because it orbits its parent star in just 31 hours. Thu, 31 May 2007 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070531114321.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070530182228.htm The latest find from an international planet-hunting team of amateur and professional astronomers is one of the oddest extrasolar planets ever cataloged -- a mammoth orb more than 13 times the mass of Jupiter that orbits its star in less than four days. Thu, 31 May 2007 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070530182228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070529085811.htm Astronomers have announced the discovery of 28 new planets outside our solar system, increasing to 236 the total number of known exoplanets. The planets are among 37 new objects -- each orbiting a star, but smaller than a star -- discovered by the teams within the past year. Seven of the 37 are confirmed brown dwarfs, which are failed stars that nevertheless are much more massive than the largest, Jupiter-sized planets. Two others are borderline and could be either large, gas giant planets or small brown dwarfs. Tue, 29 May 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070529085811.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070516151053.htm A team of European astronomers has measured the transit of a Neptune-sized planet around another star. For the first time, the size and density of such a small extra-solar planet has been measured, showing that this planet is made up mainly of water. Wed, 16 May 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070516151053.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070511081331.htm Science fiction may soon become science fact. Astronomers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have recently concluded that the upcoming planet-finding mission, SIM PlanetQuest, would be able to detect an Earth-like planet around the star 40 Eridani, a planet familiar to "Star Trek" fans as "Vulcan." Fri, 11 May 2007 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070511081331.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070509145605.htm Researchers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope have learned what the weather is like on two distant, exotic worlds. One team of astronomers used the infrared telescope to map temperature variations over the surface of a giant, gas planet HD 189733b, revealing it likely is whipped by roaring winds. Another team determined that gas planet HD 149026b is the hottest yet discovered. Wed, 09 May 2007 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070509145605.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070503163458.htm COROT has provided its first image of a giant planet orbiting another star and the first bit of 'seismic' information on a far away, Sun-like star - with unexpected accuracy. Fri, 04 May 2007 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070503163458.htm