Statistical surveys indicate that ∼40% of discovered planetary candidates are part of multiple-planet systems [26], and that their false-positive discovery probability is low, implying that these candidates are likely to be planets [240,246]. The changes in spin state and orbital eccentricity ...
The planets "look very good as possibilities for looking for life," Bill Borucki, Kepler's science principal investigator, told SPACE.com. [Video: Two Oceanic Planets Discovered] The third planet, Kepler-69c orbits another sunlike star. At 1.7 times the size of Earth, it's the smallest pla...
One of the possible signs of life on distant habitable exoplanets is the red-edge, which is a rise in the reflectivity of planets between visible and near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths. Previous studies suggested the possibility that the red-edge position for habitable exoplanets around M-dwarfs may...
Those are interesting questions that arise as new worlds continue to be discovered around other stars. Astrobiology (the science of life on other worlds) has a general (and conservative) assumption that Earth-like environments are the best places to search. The problem is that Earth is the only...
'Like a family photo of our solar system': The James Webb telescope is watching 2 alien planets being born before our eyes Newly discovered super-Earth orbits in and out of its star's habitable zone. Could life survive its extreme climate? Latest US suffers record-breaking cold: What'...
Though astronomers suspect there are billions of habitable planets in the Milky Way, even larger nonspiral galaxies may be better cradles for habitable worlds, a new study suggests. (Image credit: NASA/JPL) Galaxies like the Milky Way may not be the best cradles of life in the universe —...
Most exoplanets have been discovered via the transiting technique used by the Kepler mission, as illustrated here. These stars are much more numerous than solar-type stars. Credit: NASA/Kepler and planethunters.org A new study from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics has examined Keple...
Astronomers have actually discovered planets located in the habitable zones around other stars, but from what we can tell, they’re probably not places you’d want to live. They’re all orbiting red dwarf stars. Artists impression of Gliese 581g. Credit: Lynette Cook/NSF ...
Hence making it “non-habitable” I’m not sure why people are constantly assuming that every new planet discovered within a Goldylocks zone could support us. That said, the likelihood of there being Earth-like planets out there is massive in its own right – probably ranging in the billions...
Many exoplanets are found by watching to see if a star dims when one of these extremely distant planets passes in front of it. Many of the exoplanets discovered so far, however, are much bigger than Earth, so this slight dimming is "easier" to find. Scientists used a different strategy ...