It could be argued that the search for habitability elsewhere in the universe can be reduced to the search for water. We have yet to find life forms that separate this matter from our understanding of “life,” so we have no choice but to accept the cosmic water signature as our north star in our… Read More »
Scientists using the NASA space telescope have discovered an exciting world. It is about the size of Earth, very close to our solar system, and could be suitable for life as we know it. The extrasolar planet, or “exoplanet,” called Gliese 12 b, orbits a small, cool red dwarf star about 40 light-years from Earth… Read More »
Citizen scientists mining data collected by NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) discovered a record-breaking world and gave it a memorable nickname to match: Percival, after the father of Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts in the Harry Potter books. . But in more formal terms, the extrasolar planet or “exoplanet” is called TOI 4633 c.… Read More »
Scientists have discovered that a potentially habitable planet has been stripped of its atmosphere; This is a process that could eventually make the world, Trappist-1e, and life uninhabitable. The stripping appears to be caused by electrical currents generated as the planet orbits its red dwarf host star. This is an important discovery because the Trappist-1… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Astronomers have discovered a “super-Earth,” or a world larger than our planet, orbiting a star about 137 light-years away. There may also be a second planet, thought to be the size of Earth, orbiting the… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. Astronomers have discovered a “super-Earth,” or a world larger than our planet, orbiting a star about 137 light-years away. There may also be a second planet, thought to be the size of Earth, orbiting the… Read More »
When it comes to detecting the presence of liquid water, and thus the conditions necessary for life, on planets outside the solar system, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) may want to look for what is missing rather than what is there. Here’s what it means. A research team, including scientists from the Massachusetts Institute… Read More »
LHS 3154b is a newly discovered massive planet that should be too big to exist. Pennsylvania State University Imagine you are a farmer looking for eggs in the chicken coop; But instead of a chicken egg, you found an ostrich egg, much larger than a chicken could lay. That’s kind of how our team of… Read More »
Imagine you are a farmer looking for eggs in the chicken coop; But instead of a chicken egg, you found an ostrich egg, much larger than a chicken could lay. That’s kind of how our team of astronomers felt earlier this year when we discovered a massive planet with a mass nine times less than… Read More »