All articles tagged with #exoplanet
Nearby star GJ 887, only 10.7 light-years away, is unusually quiet and hosts GJ 887 d, a super-Earth with at least 6.1 Earth masses in its habitable zone, on a 50.7-day orbit; detected via radial velocity, its calm activity makes habitability prospects more favorable, though atmospheric characterization is challenging since it does not transit, requiring future telescopes like Habitable Worlds Observatory to probe its atmosphere.
Scientists identify L 98–59 d as a 2,700°F lava world about 35 light-years away, likely with a magma ocean and sulfur-rich atmosphere, challenging simple planet classifications and offering clues about rocky planet formation—though it’s not life-hosting.
Scientists using JWST have identified L 98-59 d, a 1.6× Earth-radius exoplanet 35 light-years away with a global magma ocean that stores sulfur, producing a sulfur-rich atmosphere including hydrogen sulfide; its low density and molten interior challenge existing small-planet categories. Computer models trace its five-billion-year evolution from a volatile-rich world that cooled and shrank while preserving sulfur, implying more exotic planet types exist—though the planet is unlikely to host life.
New JWST observations and simulations identify L98-59d as a 1.6 Earth-radius exoplanet with a global magma ocean, a molten core, surface temperatures near 1900°C, and a hydrogen-sulfide atmosphere shaped by strong tidal forces; this suggests molten planets may be more common than thought and that some planets in the habitable zone might not be habitable after all.
A nearby mid-M-dwarf hosts TOI-4616 b, an Earth-sized planet (1.22 Earth radii) with a 1.55-day orbit and an equilibrium temperature around 525 K, making it a key benchmark for studying atmospheres and atmospheric loss in strongly irradiated rocky worlds around M-dwarfs; its well-documented history and extensive transit follow-up make it a prime target for comparative atmospheric studies, potentially with JWST.
Astronomers using NASA's TESS have discovered TIC-65910228 b, a gas giant with about 4.8 Jupiter masses and a radius near 1.08 Jupiter radii, orbiting a metal-rich sun-like star 864 light-years away. The planet completes an ~180.5-day orbit at ~0.7 AU, placing it in the warm-Jupiter regime. Follow-up with NGTS, HARPS, and CORALIE confirmed the transit and radial-velocity signals, while atmospheric studies remain challenging but possible with next-generation telescopes. The system may also host moons or rings, making TIC-65910228 b a compelling target for future exploration.
Astronomers using JWST data on Enaiposha (GJ 1214 b), a star‑hopping exoplanet about 47 light-years away, find a thick, hazy atmosphere that makes it more Venus‑like than the previously assumed mini‑Neptune. Early spectral hints point to carbon dioxide, water vapor, and metals, signaling a possible new sub‑type of exoplanet and highlighting how hazes can obscure atmospheric chemistry—though Enaiposha itself is likely too hot to be habitable.
NASA’s JWST pierced the long-standing haze of exoplanet GJ 1214 b (about 47 light-years away) to detect carbon dioxide and methane in its thick atmosphere, suggesting a high-metallicity, greenhouse-like environment. This challenges the absence of such sub-Neptunes in our solar system and has led to a proposed new class, the “super Venus.” Further observations are needed to confirm the atmospheric structure and chemistry, but the finding marks a milestone in characterizing hazy exoplanets.
Astronomers using Kepler data have identified an Earth-sized exoplanet, HD 137010 b, orbiting a Sun-like–type star about 150 light-years away, with an orbital period of roughly 355 days. The host star is a cooler K-type orange dwarf, meaning the planet may receive less than a third of Earth’s sunlight and could be very cold (below −90°F), though a CO2-rich atmosphere might help trap heat and allow a temperate, potentially watery climate. The candidate was inferred from a single transit in 2017, and follow-up observations (multiple transits) are needed to confirm its habitability and true nature.
Astronomers analyzing Kepler data have identified HD 137010 b, a rocky, Earth-sized exoplanet orbiting a nearby K-type orange-dwarf star about 150 light-years away, with a 355-day year. Its Earth-like size and orbit make it a compelling habitability candidate, potentially aided by a CO2-rich atmosphere, but the planet’s temperature is expected to be very cold and only a single transit was observed. Follow-up observations—ideally three transits—are needed to confirm its existence and assess habitability, especially given potential tidal locking around cooler stars.
Astronomers analyzing Kepler/K2 data have identified a possible rocky exoplanet, HD 137010b, orbiting a K-type dwarf about 146 light-years away. It is expected to be about 1.06 times the diameter of Earth and complete an orbit roughly every 355 days, receiving around 29% of the Sun-like energy Earth gets. This places it at the outer edge of the star’s habitable zone, meaning its surface could be frozen unless it has a thick atmosphere. Only one transit has been observed, so the planet’s existence and exact conditions remain unconfirmed, but future observations by missions such as CHEOPS, TESS, PLATO, and JWST could help determine its reality and assess any atmosphere. The discovery paper notes a 40% chance of being in the conservative HZ, a 51% chance in the optimistic HZ, and a 50/50 chance of not being in the HZ at all.
A citizen scientist analyzing Kepler data identified an Earth-sized exoplanet, HD 137010b, orbiting a nearby K-dwarf star HD 137010 (about 146 light-years away). The discovery, made by Alexander Venner, was noted for having been missed by automated searches and will guide upcoming telescope campaigns (ESA’s PLATO and Terra Hunting Experiment) to scrutinize a potentially habitable world.
An Earth-sized planet HD 137010 b, about 6% larger than Earth and 146 light-years away, orbits a sun-like star every ~355 days and has roughly a 50% chance of residing in its star's habitable zone. Its surface temperature would be more Mars-like due to the cooler, dimmer star, potentially below −70°C. The planet was detected via a transit captured by NASA's Kepler K2 mission and initially flagged by citizen scientists; confirmation requires additional transits, and its proximity makes it a prime target for future telescopes.
An international team led by Australian astronomers identified HD 137010 b, about 146 light-years away, as an Earth-sized planet candidate roughly 6% larger than Earth that may lie near its star's habitable zone with a 50% chance of habitability, based on archival NASA Kepler data; confirmation is pending.
An international team led by Australian astronomers identified HD 137010 b, an Earth-sized exoplanet candidate about 146 light-years away that orbits a sun-like star near the outer edge of its habitable zone; the detection came from a single transit in archival Kepler/K2 data and the candidate has an estimated 50% chance of habitability, being roughly 6% larger than Earth.