Exposed core of ancient gas giant discovered orbiting Sun-like star

Astronomers have discovered the intact, exposed core of a gas giant locked in a close orbit around a Sun-like star. The discovery will give astronomers a rare opportunity to probe the heart of an ancient alien world, and their findings could tell us mo… Continue reading Exposed core of ancient gas giant discovered orbiting Sun-like star→

Exposed core of ancient gas giant discovered orbiting Sun-like star

Astronomers have discovered the intact, exposed core of a gas giant locked in a close orbit around a Sun-like star. The discovery will give astronomers a rare opportunity to probe the heart of an ancient alien world, and their findings could tell us mo… Continue reading Exposed core of ancient gas giant discovered orbiting Sun-like star→

NASA funds SETI study to scan exoplanets for alien “technosignatures”

Given just how incomprehensibly, unfathomably big the universe is, chances are tiny that Earth is the only planet with life on it. But how would we find others? A new NASA grant has been awarded to aid the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI… Continue reading NASA funds SETI study to scan exoplanets for alien “technosignatures”→

Mimicking Exoplanet Exploration At Home

Mankind will always wonder whether we’re alone in the universe. What is out there? Sure, these past weeks we’ve been increasingly wondering the same about our own, direct proximity, but that’s a different story. Up until two years ago, we had the Kepler space telescope aiding us in our quest …read more

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Images with a “twist” could be first showing birth of an exoplanet

An international team of astronomers led by Anthony Boccaletti of the Observatoire de Paris has found what may be the first images of a planet being born. Based on observations by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT), im… Continue reading Images with a “twist” could be first showing birth of an exoplanet→

Meet NASA’s Roman Space Telescope, named after the “Mother of Hubble”

NASA has officially named its next planet hunter. Previously known as the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope (WFIRST), the project has now been named the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope – or simply, the Roman Space Telescope – after NASA’s first ch… Continue reading Meet NASA’s Roman Space Telescope, named after the “Mother of Hubble”→

“Astronomers’ sunglasses” spot stripy clouds in brown dwarf atmosphere

Using polarized light, astronomers have detected signs of cloud bands in the atmosphere of a brown dwarf far beyond the solar system. It turns out that these gassy giants have a similar appearance to Jupiter, and the same kind of wild weather.Continue … Continue reading “Astronomers’ sunglasses” spot stripy clouds in brown dwarf atmosphere→

Surprising study finds microbes can survive in all-hydrogen atmosphere

No matter how tough we think life is, it continually outdoes expectations. Now a new study from MIT has found that E. coli and yeast can survive in an atmosphere made up of 100 percent hydrogen. And that could have fascinating implications for life on … Continue reading Surprising study finds microbes can survive in all-hydrogen atmosphere→