Collaborate Disseminate
Double star systems may be concealing a population of potentially habitable Earth-sized planets in their combined glare, according to the results of a newly published study. Roughly half of all stars are thought to exist in binary systems, in which two… Continue reading Earth-like planets may be lurking in the glare of binary star systems
A team of astronomers has used computer modeling to reveal the chaotic fate of a distant star system in which the planets orbit in near perfect synchronization with one another. The study also sheds light on how ancient white dwarf stars that are threa… Continue reading After billions of years in harmony, distant star system will end in chaos
Contrary to popular belief, not all planets orbit stars – some drift freely through the cosmos on their own. These cold, dark worlds don’t make great candidates for hosting life, but a new study suggests that their moons could be more habitable than th… Continue reading “Rogue planet” exomoons could potentially harbor water and life
Scientists may be able to detect the presence of dark matter by searching for anomalous heat signatures from distant alien worlds. Dark matter is an enigmatic, invisible substance that is thought to make up around 80 percent of the universe’s mass.Cont… Continue reading Exoplanets could be used as colossal detectors in hunt for dark matter
Computer simulations have revealed that a hostile, tidally locked exoplanet located roughly 45 light-years from Earth is capable of hosting tectonic activity on a massive scale. Tectonic activity is considered to be one of the key processes that contri… Continue reading Tectonic activity shown to be possible on tidally locked alien planet
The Earth has an expiry date – in about five billion years, the Sun will expand and swallow up our home world. But it turns out life on Earth could have a much earlier end point. A new study has found that in about a billion years’ time, the atmosphere… Continue reading Scientists calculate life expectancy of Earth’s atmospheric oxygen
Astronomers have discovered a nearby system of exoplanets with unusually orderly orbits but disordered densities. Five of the six planets circle the star in a rare rhythmic dance called a resonance chain, and the types of planets are far more shuffled … Continue reading Exoplanet system discovered with strange balance of order and disorder
WASP-107b was already one of the weirdest exoplanets ever discovered, with its incredibly low mass for its size giving it the density of cotton candy. On closer inspection, astronomers have now found that its density is even lower than previously thoug… Continue reading “Cotton candy” exoplanet defies models for how gas giants form
WASP-107b was already one of the weirdest exoplanets ever discovered, with its incredibly low mass for its size giving it the density of cotton candy. On closer inspection, astronomers have now found that its density is even lower than previously thoug… Continue reading “Cotton candy” exoplanet defies models for how gas giants form
It’s no secret that space is incredibly weird, but every year astronomers seem to outdo themselves in discovering bizarre new objects and events. From extreme exoplanets to stars with strange fates, clues to an old mystery and the beginnings of a brand… Continue reading The 10 most bizarre space discoveries of 2020