Exoplanet news, features and articles
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Surprise discovery in alien planet's atmosphere could upend decades of planet formation theoryThe odd atmosphere of a fledgling exoplanet is causing astronomers to question leading theories of how planets form.
By Sharmila Kuthunur Published
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Nearby exoplanet has grown a tail 44 times longer than Earth — and it's acting like a giant 'stellar windsock'Researchers have detected a giant tail of gas leaking from an exoplanet near Earth. The giant structure, which is up to 350,000 miles long, is being blown away from the alien world by stellar gusts, allowing researchers to use it like a windsock.
By Harry Baker Published
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'Baby' exoplanet, equivalent to 2-week-old infant, is the youngest alien world ever spotted — and it's orbiting a wonky starA new study has identified an exoplanet that is just 3 million years old — around 1,500 times younger than Earth — alongside a misaligned protoplanetary disk that researchers cannot explain.
By Harry Baker Published
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'Unique and extreme': James Webb telescope detects possible alien world bubbling over with volcanoesAstronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected possible signs of gases released by volcanic activity on a distant exoplanet.
By Agnibha Banerjee Published
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NASA finds signs of hellish, lava-covered 'exomoon' circling an alien world — and it could meet a 'destructive end'A new analysis of a peculiar metallic cloud surrounding the exoplanet WASP-49 b provides further evidence that it may have been birthed by a volcanic satellite, which may become the first officially recognized "exomoon."
By Harry Baker Published
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NASA's exoplanet hunter TESS spots a record-breaking 3-star systemUsing NASA's exoplanet-hunting spacecraft, TESS, astronomers and citizen scientists have discovered a record-breaking system of three tightly bound stars that could fit between the sun and Mercury.
By Robert Lea Published
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32 alien planets that really existBeyond our solar system, countless alien worlds of lava, ice, water and noxious gas swirl through the cosmos. Here are some of the strangest exoplanets that scientists have discovered so far.
By Brandon Specktor Published
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Astronomers spot a possible 'future Earth' — 8 billion years into its futureThe rocky planet, roughly twice Earth's size, has offered astronomers a glimpse of one of Earth’s possible futures — if it doesn’t get engulfed by our expanding sun.
By Ben Turner Published
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Iron winds and molten metal rains ravage a hellish hot Jupiter exoplanet"Our observations indicate the presence of powerful iron winds, probably fuelled by a hot spot in the atmosphere."
By Robert Lea Published
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