Astronomers confirm the existence of small, hot and likely rocky planets by observing the subtle gravitational wobbles of the star they orbit Researchers supported by the U.S. National Science Foundation have discovered four tiny exoplanets orbiting Barnard’s star, a red dwarf at the center of the nearest single-star system to Earth. Using a specialized […]
Study uses computer model to predict existence of habitable zones in white dwarf star systems A research team led by the recipient of a U.S. National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development grant used computer simulations to determine that white dwarf stars have greater potential to host habitable planets than previously realized. The team concluded […]
After nine years in deep space collecting data that indicate our sky to be filled with billions of hidden planets – more planets even than stars – NASA’s Kepler space telescope has run out of fuel needed for further science operations. NASA has decided to retire the spacecraft within its current, safe orbit, away from […]
A new study has found that the seven planets orbiting the nearby ultra-cool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 are all made mostly of rock, and some could potentially hold more water than Earth. The planets’ densities, now known much more precisely than before, suggest that some of them could have up to 5 percent of their mass […]