[ad_1] It’s not certain just what led to the ‘naked’ jovian world, but there are two theories. TOI-849b is so close to its star that it completes an orbit in 18 hours, raising the possibility that tidal disruptions or a planetary collision stripped it of gas. Evaporation due to starlight is a possibility, but wouldn’t […]
Category: exoplanet
Scientists find a likely Earth-like planet orbiting a Sun-like star
[ad_1] Astronomers have found Earth-like planets before, but usually around red dwarf stars. That’s a rather large problem when their flares and radiation could make orbiting planets uninhabitable. Thankfully, there may be a much more viable candidate in the pipeline. Researchers have found (via MIT Technology Review) a likely exoplanet, KOI-456.04, that’s less than twice […]
Scientists find an Earth-like planet hiding in old Kepler data
[ad_1] These parameters don’t guarantee that the planet will support life, even if there aren’t any errors. Red dwaves tend to flare up and hurt the chances for life. Researchers also don’t know the atmospheric composition, which could rule out life even if every other condition is ideal. With that said, NASA is hoping to […]
Study casts doubt on the chances of life on watery alien planets
[ad_1] The most hostile environment even included bogus evidence in the form of biomorphs, or nano-sized silica grains that resemble small cells. There’s a concern that rovers landing on distant worlds might inadvertently fool researchers into believing the grains are proof of life. This doesn’t mean exobiologists should give up their hunt for life beyond […]
Scientists discover water vapor on an exoplanet with a rocky core
[ad_1] A team at the Institute for Research on Exoplanets at the Université de Montréal published their findings yesterday. Led by Björn Benneke, their work (which has yet to be peer reviewed) points to the possibility that K2-18 b is habitable thanks to the presence of water and hydrogen, as well as the exoplanet’s location […]
NASA’s TESS spacecraft discovers its smallest exoplanet to date
[ad_1] TESS spotted the planets by using transits (regular dips in the star’s brightness caused by passing planets). You might get more information soon, at least. TESS completes its first year of studies in July, and that could be enough to both collect more detail about the known planets and possibly spot more. This isn’t […]