Phil Plait

Bad Astronomy

New telescope is an exoplanet TRAPPIST

A disintegrating planet orbits a giant star. “The extent of the tail is gargantuan, stretching up to 9 million kilometers long,” says Marc Hon, a postdoc in MIT’s Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research.  (Image Credit: Jose-Luis Olivares, MIT)


Disintegrating Planet

Learn why the planet, BD+05 4868 Ab, is only the fourth such discovered and will disappear in one to two million years.

A Disintegrating Planet Is Shedding Matter and Has a Comet-Like Tail 

Astronomers have detected the most promising signs yet of a possible biosignature outside the solar system, although they remain cautious. Using data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, have detected the chemical fingerprints of dimethyl sulfide (DMS) and/or dimethyl disulfide (DMDS), in the atmosphere of the exoplanet K2-18b, which orbits its star in the habitable zone. (Image Credit: A. Smith, N. Madhusudhan (University of Cambridge))

Artist's impression of the exoplanet K2-18b

While cautious about the findings, astronomers detected traces of a chemical that, on Earth, is produced by phytoplankton.

JWST May Have Found Strongest Evidence of Life on Exoplanet K2-18b

The first Earth-size planet orbiting a star in the “habitable zone” — the range of distance from a star where liquid water might pool on the surface of an orbiting planet. (Image Credit: NASA Ames/SETI Institute/JPL-Caltech)


Kepler-186f

Learn why finding no obvious biosignatures on 40 to 80 exoplanets doesn’t mean that life doesn’t exist outside Earth. It just provides a way to narrow the search.

When Searching for Life on Exoplanets, a Lack of Its Signs Is Only a Starting Point

Illustration of LTT 9779 b, the only known ultra-hot Neptune. This planet orbits so close to its star that its atmosphere is scorching hot, glowing from its own heat while also reflecting starlight. Because it is tidally locked - always showing the same side to its star - one half is permanently in daylight while the other remains in darkness. New JWST observations with NIRISS reveal a dynamic atmosphere: powerful winds sweep around the planet, shaping mineral clouds as they condense into a bright, white arc on the slightly cooler western side of the dayside. As these clouds move eastward, they evaporate under the intense heat, leaving the eastern dayside with clear skies. (Credit: Benoit Gougeon, Université de Montréal) 

Illustration of exoplanet LTT 9779 b

The weather for Neptune today is sunny, with a chance of reflective clouds. Learn more about the uniquely blazing atmosphere of this ultra-hot exoplanet. 

JWST Helps Identify Rare Ultra-Hot Neptune 262 Light Years Away 

This is not an illustration of planet HD 20794 d, but is a general illustration of exoplanets in space. (Credit: olivier.laurent.photos/Shutterstock)

Exoplanet in space

Astronomers who identified HD 20794 d say its proximity to its host star and orbital pattern suggest it could hold water.

Newly Discovered Earth-like Exoplanet May Hold Potential for Life 

2024-medical-supplies

Discover the new planets, moons, health advances, and ancient history uncovered in 2024. 

9 of the Most Remarkable Scientific Discoveries of 2024

New telescope is an exoplanet TRAPPIST

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