Exoplanets : Science World Report

Nov 04, 2013 07:54 PM EST

One in Five Stars Has an Earth-sized Planet in its Habitable Zone

Scientists from University of California, Berkeley, and University of Hawaii, Manoa, have statistically determined that twenty percent of Sun-like stars in our solar system have Earth-sized planets that could host life

Oct 06, 2013 03:41 PM EDT

By Jove! Can Climate Change Lead Us to Life on Other Planets?

While we don’t currently know of any planets that could be considered truly Earth-like beyond our own solar system, it is only a matter of time before such planets are discovered, and the search for life beyond our solar system begins in earnest.

Aug 06, 2013 05:01 AM EDT

Astronomers Detect Giant Exoplanet GJ504b Around Sun Like Star

With the help of the infrared data from the Subaru Telescope, which is mounted at Mauna Kea in Hawaii, astronomers have imaged a giant Jovian exoplanet around a star similar to the Sun, and named it GJ 504b.

Jul 30, 2013 04:14 PM EDT

Threshold for Rocky Planets to Enter Runaway Greenhouse Mode Possibly Lower

It might be easier than previously thought for rocky planets to overheat into the scorchingly uninhabitable “runaway greenhouse” stage, according to new research

Jul 29, 2013 10:25 PM EDT

Asteroseismology: New Method to Analyze Far Away Star-Planet Systems

A team of researchers has devised a way to measure the internal properties of stars--a method that offers more accurate assessments of their orbiting planets.

Jul 17, 2013 04:39 PM EDT

How do Scientists Search for Habitable Planets?

There is only one planet we know of, so far, that is drenched with life. That planet is Earth, as you may have guessed, and it has all the right conditions for critters to thrive on its surface. Do other planets beyond our solar system, called exoplanets, also host life forms?

Jul 12, 2013 06:41 PM EDT

NASA Awards Grant for Search of Earth-Like Exoplanets

Are we alone? Is Earth the sole example of life in the Universe, or are there others? To find out, researchers at University of Montana, together with partner institutions Harvard, the California Institute of Technology and Pennsylvania State University are building Project Minerva.

Jul 11, 2013 09:01 PM EDT

The End of Kepler? That Would be Universally Bad

Engineers at NASA and Ball Aerospace & Technologies have their fingers crossed they’ll be able to restart the stricken Kepler space observatory, which has been in hibernation mode since May 15. If they can’t, the telescope’s haul of planet candidates – 3,277 at the last count and including m...

Jul 06, 2013 12:20 PM EDT

Hot Exoplanet Atmospheres Found to be Surprisingly Diverse Under Gaze of Hubble

First results from the analysis of eight 'hot Jupiter' exoplanets suggest that winds and clouds play an important role in the atmospheric make up of these exotic planets. Catherine Huitson of the University of Exeter will present the results at the National Astronomy Meeting in St Andrews on Friday ...

Apr 18, 2013 08:59 PM EDT

Smallest Earth-Like Exoplanets Found Orbiting in Habitable Zones

The two smallest exoplanets yet found in the habitable zone of a star system, and thus with the potential to be similar to Earth, were identified using the Kepler Space Telescope.

Apr 07, 2013 11:50 PM EDT

Neutron Star Experiment and an Exoplanet Searching Probe Selected for 2017 Launch

The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) project at MIT will develop and launch a space-based planet hunter, while NICER will be an array of X-ray telescopes mounted on the ISS to analyze the still mysterious neutron stars.

Mar 15, 2013 04:03 PM EDT