Coldest Brown Dwarf Ever Observed: Closing The Gap Between Stars And Planets Apr 11, 2008
This discovery also has important implications in the study of extrasolar planets ... Observing the atmospheres of extrasolar planets is indeed very hard because the light from the planets is embedded in the much stronger light from their parent stars ... Thus, looking to brown dwarfs with a temperature close to that of the giant planets will help in testing the models of extrasolar planets' atmospheres. (Science Daily)
Newly Discovered Extrasolar Planet Is Smallest Yet Apr 11, 2008
Extrasolar planets are detected by , although most often by detecting the gravitational "wobble" in a star caused by the presence of one or more planets. In a first for astronomers, the new planet was detected from perturbations in a previously-known Neptune-like planet's orbit. (Wired News)
Solar System's 'look-alike' found Apr 7, 2008
" Dr Dominik presented his work at the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting in Belfast. Ultimate goal The newfound planetary system, which orbits the star OGLE-2006-BLG-109L, is more compact than our own and is about five thousand light-years away. Although nearly 300 extrasolar planets have been identified, astronomers have consistently failed to find planetary systems which resemble our own. Dr Dominik said only 10% of systems discovered so far are known to host more than... (BBC News -- UK)
For astronomers, 2008 already year of discovery Apr 6, 2008
Last week, astronomers reported finding 10 extrasolar planets trillions of miles from Earth, boosting the roster of alien planets to 287 since the first two were identified in 1996. Using robotically controlled telescopes in Spain, South Africa, Australia, Arizona and Hawaii, an international collaboration known as SuperWASP for Wide Area Search for Planets measured slight dips in the brightness of certain stars. (Houston Chronicle)
Chance Of Finding Earthlike Planets On The Rise, UK Astronomers Believe Apr 4, 2008
Since the early 1990s, astronomers have found more than 200 planets in orbit around stars other than our Sun (so-called extrasolar planets) ... However, neither of these techniques is currently good enough to find small extrasolar planets similar to the Earth ... With RISE, scientists will search for extrasolar planets using a technique called transit timing, which may provide a short cut to discovering Earth-like planets with existing technology. (Science Daily)
Youngest planet and 10 new ones discovered Apr 3, 2008
The findings add to a growing list of more than 270 so-called extrasolar planets, they told a meeting of astronomers in Belfast ... Don Pollaco of Queen's University in Belfast and colleagues used banks of cameras in Spain's Canary Islands, South Africa, Arizona, Hawaii, Chile, France, and Australia to discover the 10 extrasolar planets. (Boston Globe)
Scientists accelerate planet quest Apr 3, 2008
Observers discussed the state of their search for extrasolar planets, as worlds beyond the solar system are known, during the Royal Astronomical Society's National Astronomy Meeting in the Northern Irish city of Belfast this week. Sting operationExtrasolar planets are tough for telescopes to detect unless the objects are about the size of Jupiter, which is why astronomers rely on unique methods to find the elusive bodies ... SuperWASPOne of two sets of cameras known as SuperWASP. The batteries... (MSNBC -- Technology)
QUB astronomers help find planets Apr 2, 2008
The project has discovered extrasolar planets (artist's impression) ... The extrasolar planets - which orbit around other stars - were found by an international team using cameras in the Canary Islands and South Africa ... Scientists have found more than 270 extrasolar planets since the first one was discovered in the early 1990s, but the pace of discovery has been accelerated by SuperWasp technology. (BBC News)
The Color of Plants on Other Worlds Apr 2, 2008
Beyond the solar system, astronomers have discovered more than 200 worlds orbiting other stars, so-called extrasolar planets. Although we have not been able to tell whether these planets harbor life, it is only a matter of time now. (Scientific American)
Ten Exotic Planets Outside Our Solar System Discovered With New Technique Apr 2, 2008
5, 2007) Three new extrasolar planets have been discovered ... 16, 2001) An international team of astronomers has discovered eight new extrasolar planets, bringing to nearly 80 the number of planets found orbiting nearby stars. (Science Daily)
FROM THE BACK PORCH- Just How Many Planets Are There In The Universe These Days? Apr 1, 2008
Thus, astronomers got busy and they report that 13 years later they have fond 277 extrasolar planets that are confirmed by something called the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia. In addition there are many on the list of suspected planets but haven t been confirmed. (DeRidder Beauregard Daily News, LA)
Planet in Progress? Evidence Of A Huge Planet Forming In Star System Mar 27, 2008
It is only in the last 15 years that nearly 300 extrasolar planets have been identified around distant stars. Most of these objects are more massive than Jupiter, orbit very close to their stars, and are identified by indirect methods such as the wobble created by the gravitational pull. (Science Daily)
First Whiff of Methane in Extrasolar Planet's Atmosphere Mar 21, 2008
HD 189733 b is one of few extrasolar planets suited for such measurements ... "These are exciting times for studies of extrasolar planets," Showman adds. (Scientific American)
Methane found on distant world Mar 20, 2008
" Stepping stone Dr Tinetti, and co-authors Mark Swain and Gautam Vasisht, from Nasa's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, found the tell-tale signature of methane in the planet's atmosphere using the Hubble Space Telescope. The observations were made as the planet passed in front of its parent star, as viewed from Earth. As the star's light passed briefly through the planet's atmosphere, the gases imprinted their chemical signatures on the transmitted light. My personal view is... (BBC News -- Science)
Organic molecule found Mar 20, 2008
Astronomers plan to use the James Webb Telescope to search for water and methane on other extrasolar planets. On Earth, methane is one of the main components of natural gas and is produced by termites, wetland environments, waste landfills and even livestock. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Methane found on planet outside Solar System Mar 20, 2008
It shows that Hubble, Spitzer and a new generation of space telescopes yet to be launched can detect organic molecules on other extrasolar planets using spectroscopy, the scientists said. Tinetti said the technique could eventually be applied to extrasolar planets that appear more suitable for life than HD 189733b. (Xinhuanet, China)
Alpha Centauri Should Harbor Detectable, Earth-like Planets Mar 8, 2008
The Doppler detection method, which has revealed the majority of the 228 known extrasolar planets, measures shifts in the light from a star to detect the tiny wobble induced by the gravitational tug of an orbiting planet. Factors that favor the use of this technique for Alpha Centauri B include the brightness of the star and its position in the sky, which gives it a long period of observability each year from the Southern Hemisphere, Laughlin said. (Science Daily)
Does Earth have a doppelgnger? Mar 8, 2008
The Doppler detection method, which has revealed the majority of the 228 known extrasolar planets, measures shifts in the light from a star to detect the tiny wobble induced by the gravitational tug of an orbiting planet. Because Alpha Centauri B is so bright and nearby, detecting a small terrestrial planet's miniscule wobble would be that much easier. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Earth-like planets may be common Feb 18, 2008
Due for launch in February 2009, Kepler will be the first observatory able to detect Earth-sized (and smaller) extrasolar planets directly. Meanwhile, as NASA science chief Alan Stern described in the same press conference, NASA is already planning for an even more capable planet-finding mission to be launched in about 2015. (Nature News Service)
Strangely Familiar Feb 16, 2008
Many rocky extrasolar planets have been discovered by noticing drops in light output from stars as planets pass in front of them. "While most planetary systems around other stars substantially differ from our solar system, a series of recent detections have brought us closer and closer to home," said Martin Dominik, a University of St. Andrews researcher involved in the discoveries. (Fox News)
Solar System match made in the heavens Feb 15, 2008
The majority of the 270 extrasolar planets discovered so far are like this. Big planets orbiting further out, at a distance comparable to Jupiter, take decades to complete a revolution and create a stellar wobble, and telescopes haven't been watching that long.. (Nature News Service)
Scientists and Amateurs Find New Solar System Feb 15, 2008
Most of the other 250 or so extrasolar planets that have been seen have been detected using radio velocity -- tiny shifts in radiation, including light, that are caused by the Doppler effect. Most planets detected this way are super-large, super gassy and orbit very close to their suns. (Planet Ark, United States)
Smaller "Siblings" of Jupiter, Saturn Discovered Feb 15, 2008
Two newfound extrasolar planets orbiting a star about 5,000 light years away resemble smaller versions of our own and , an international team of astronomers reports. These planetary "siblings" are about 80 percent as big as our gas giants and orbit a star that's about half the size of the sun. (National Geographic)
Astronomers discover two extrasolar planets Feb 15, 2008
WASHINGTON, Feb. 14 (Xinhua) -- Researchers from 11 countries have discovered two extrasolar planets, each with a mass less than that of Jupiter, orbiting a star about half the size of our Sun ... The astronomers called the two extrasolar planets a Jupiter/Saturn analog. (Xinhuanet, China)
Deep Impact Searches for Exoplanets Feb 13, 2008
The U.S. space agency's Deep Impact spacecraft is aiming its largest telescope at five stars in a search for extrasolar planets. Deep Impact made history July 4, 2005, when National Aeronautics and Space Administration scientists directed an probe into comet Tempel 1. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
NASA probe begins hunt for alien planets Feb 9, 2008
Each of the five target stars on Deep Impact's list is known to host massive, close-orbiting extrasolar planets the size of Jupiter or larger, mission researchers said. About the size of an mid-size sport utility vehicle, carries two telescopic cameras one for high-resolution and another for medium-resolution which it used to observe the into the Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, 2005. (MSNBC -- Technology)
NASA-funded instrument nails nova Jan 29, 2008
"But ultimately we want to launch a nulling interferometer into space to image extrasolar planets. These Keck results are a technological and scientific pathfinder toward that future.". . (EurekAlert!)
Jupiter's "Jet Stream" Heated by Surface, Not Sun Jan 24, 2008
But the research could also unlock weather secrets on Earth, on other gas giants such as Saturn and Neptune, and even on Jupiter-like extrasolar planets that are being discovered at accelerated rates, the study authors say. (Related: [July 11, 2007. (National Geographic)
Why Do Earth & Planets Orbit Sun? Jan 21, 2008
This barely detectable wobble in other stars allows us to detect extrasolar planets. Newton's laws resolved the geocentric vs. heliocentric controversy and tell us why planets orbit the Sun. (Suite101.com)
The Sky's The Limit For The Custer Institute Jan 17, 2008
As of now, they are conducting continuing research on extrasolar planets, supernovae, and other phenomena. Also, they are working toward instituting projects and lectures at Long Island high schools. (Suffolk Life Newspapers, NY)
Funding edict for mission has NASA over a barrel Jan 16, 2008
An upcoming NASA task-force report on the best way to look for extrasolar planets will recommend a mission such as SIM as a priority. NASAs Mike Griffin will have to reprioritize. (Nature News Service)
1st planet around a young star Jan 6, 2008
But until now, none of the 270 known extrasolar planets had been found around stars young enough to still have protoplanetary discs. That`s because most planet searches have excluded young stars, whose pulsations can mimic the telltale wobbles caused by potential planets. (Zee News)
Star tells about birth of planets Jan 4, 2008
So far, 270 of them have been spotted, according to the Extrasolar Planets Encyclopedia. Loading. (India Times, India -- Health/Science)
Baby planet spotted near faraway sun Jan 3, 2008
This so-called radial-velocity method is great at detecting extrasolar planets, but it also can produce false positives suggesting a planet is there when in fact the data owe to some other object or phenomenon. That's particularly true in young star systems. (MSNBC -- Technology)
First visible extra-solar light detected from orbiting planet 60 ... Dec 31, 2007
So far, more than 200 extrasolar planets have been detected. Bright sky unseenOur entire Milky Way galaxy is a very powerful visible light source. (TG Daily)
That Was the Year that Was Dec 29, 2007
Looking farther from Earth, astronomers discovered more extrasolar planets and. Reanalysis of satellite observations have provided us with more accurate to nearby stars. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Explorers Club Lecture: In Search of Extrasolar Planets Dec 28, 2007
"Beyond Our Solar System: In Search of Extrasolar Planets" by Ben R. Oppenheimer, Curator and Professor of Astrophysics, American Museum of Natural History ... Why shouldn't similar extrasolar planets exist around other stars, perhaps in vast numbers ... For centuries, scientists have pondered the possible existence of extrasolar planets, but only in recent years have such planets actually been discovered. (NASA Watch)
What Would ET See? Dec 25, 2007
Most extrasolar planets known today cannot be directly observed ... Using current technology, like data from the Hubble Telescope and the Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers are only able to collect limited amounts of data on extrasolar planets ... These telescopes are not powerful enough to view most extrasolar planets directly. (Astrobiology Magazine)
How Would Earth Appear To Aliens? Dec 24, 2007
5, 2007) Three new extrasolar planets have been discovered. The planets orbit around stars similar to our Sun that are located at a distance of 850 light-years away from the Earth. (Science Daily)
Sulfur Dioxide Kept Ancient Mars Ocean Flowing Dec 21, 2007
"These questions are especially relevant in the context of the search for habitable environments in the solar system [and] also for extrasolar planets," Halevy said. The study appears in tomorrow's journal Science. (National Geographic)
Deep Impact Spacecraft Heads For Comet Hartley 2 Dec 16, 2007
Directly observing extrasolar planets by detecting the light reflected from them is very difficult, because a star's brilliance obscures light coming from any planets orbiting it ... " Planets as small as three Earth masses can be detected in this way. EPOCh will also observe the Earth in visible and infrared wavelengths to allow comparisons with future discoveries of Earth-like planets around other stars. The mission will observe five nearby stars with "transiting extrasolar planets," so named... (Science Daily)
Astronomers gaze at a distant sunset Dec 14, 2007
Since 1995, astronomers have detected 268 extrasolar planets orbiting 230 stars. Some of them form miniature solar systems that contain as many as five planets. (Herald Online, SC -- Health)
Deep Impact gets new mission for new year Dec 14, 2007
Probe to focus on extrasolar planets, then Comet Hartley 2 ... That 2005 mission has ended, but NASA is giving the instrument-laden mothership a couple of new tasks: tolook forextrasolar planets and take a close look at Comet Hartley 2. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Hazy Red Sunset On Extrasolar Planet Dec 13, 2007
"One of the long-term goals of studying extrasolar planets is to measure the atmosphere of an Earth-like planet, this present result is a step in this direction" says Pont. "HD 189733b is the first extrasolar planet for which we are piecing together a complete idea of what it really looks like.". (Science Daily)
Interstellar Sunset Dec 12, 2007
"One of the long-term goals of studying extrasolar planets is to measure the atmosphere of an Earth-like planet and this present result is a step in this direction," said Frederic Pont, an astronomer at the Geneva University Observatory in Switzerland. Pont led the team of astronomers who made the new Hubble observations. (Fox News)
Telescopes of tomorrow Nov 22, 2007
NASA expects the James Webb Space Telescope to launch in 2013, and many scientists are already pondering their future observations of tiny extrasolar planets, elusive black holes and distant galactic arms. Somerville and other astronomers laid bare their sky-watching hopes including telescopes beyond JWST at the recent Astrophysics 2020 conference, sponsored by Johns Hopkins University and held at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore. (MSNBC -- Technology)
A Shortcut for Planet Hunters Nov 17, 2007
The find makes that star system the most heavily populated one known other than our sun's and raises to 265 the total of extrasolar planets since astronomers began discovering them in 1995 ... Like almost all extrasolar planets, the new world is too small and distant to be spotted by telescope. (Time.com)
Extrasolar planets The famous five Nov 9, 2007
Quick jump navigation. Content to search lect. (Economist)
A Plethora of Planets Nov 8, 2007
"Finding five extrasolar planets orbiting a star is only one small step," observes Marcy. "Earth-like planets are the next destination.". (SkyAndTelescope.com)
New planet: same as the old planet? Nov 8, 2007
Now, extrasolar planets are cool ... The first planet orbiting a sunlike star (some had been found before, but around pulsars) was announced in 1995; since then, 263 other extrasolar planets have been reported, according to the definitive. (Nature News Service)
Scientists Reveal 'Cousin' Solar System Nov 7, 2007
"Water on it could in principle puddle into lakes and oceans, serving as the solvent for biochemistry. 'One Small Step' Michael Briley, an astronomer at the National Science Foundation who was not involved in the study, said the discovery marks an "exciting step" in the search for worlds like our own. "To go from the first detections of planets around sun-like stars to finding a full-fledged solar system with a planet in a habitable zone in just 12 years is an amazing accomplishment and a... (Fox News)
Astronomers see small planets Nov 7, 2007
"If you look at the 135 or so extrasolar planets found so far, it's clear that nature makes more of the smaller planets than the larger ones," he explained. "We've found more Saturn-size planets than Jupiter-size planets, and now it appears there are more Neptune-size planets than Saturn-size. That means there's an even better chance of finding Earths, and maybe more of them than all the other planets we've found so far. "This is a real breakthrough," Dr Marcy added. "We should be able to easily... (BBC News -- Science)
Three New Exo-planets Discovered Nov 6, 2007
16, 2001) An international team of astronomers has discovered eight new extrasolar planets, bringing to nearly 80 the number of planets found orbiting nearby stars. The latest discoveries, supported by the. (Science Daily)
Giant telescope's double vision Nov 2, 2007
The instrument should allow astronomers an unprecedented ability to image these extrasolar planets - bodies thought to be good candidates for looking for extraterrestrial life. The exciting thing about building a big telescope is that you never know what kind of discovery you will make. (BBC News -- Science)
Asecond Earth in the making? Oct 4, 2007
To date, planet hunters have discovered more than 250 extrasolar planets, or "." Most of the distant worlds, however, are giant gas planets several times the size of Jupiter. While life is known to exist only on our planet, the range of exoplanet types found so far has astronomers increasingly confident that many worlds in our galaxy could be habitable. (MSNBC -- Technology)
The 10 most intriguing extrasolar planets Sep 18, 2007
Primeval worlds and shrinking planets discovered beyond our Solar System. Updated: 6:12 p.m. ET July 3, 2007. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Planet Survivor Sep 17, 2007
In 1992, astronomers used a similar method to make the first discoveries of extrasolar planets. With the new discovery, scientists can begin to figure out what properties, including mass and orbit size, are required for a planet to survive the midlife changes of its star. (Science News for Kids)
The Lunar Base: How to Settle the Moon (and Pay for Sleepovers) Sep 16, 2007
Separated from the bases transmissions, and shielded from Earths radio noise, this site holds optical and radio telescopes used to search for extrasolar planets, as well as an ultraviolet telescope that uses the moons rotation to survey for planets like Earth. Living quarters sit high on the crater rim so that power-generating solar cell arrays are in constant sunlight. (Popular Mechanics)
Life's Ingredients May Have Sprinkled on Earth Sep 12, 2007
The Top 10 Extrasolar Planets. Scientists: Calculations Prove Life Began in Comet. (Newsmax)
The Most Puffed-Up Planet Aug 9, 2007
Of the 249 known extrasolar planets, astronomers most prize the 24 that transit (cross) the faces of their stars from our viewpoint. The amount that the star's light gets dimmed tells the diameter of the planet passing in front of it. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Does life exist beyond Earth? Aug 7, 2007
Since 1995, when astronomers spotted the first planet in orbit around another normal star, the number of extrasolar planets, or "exoplanets," has swelled to over 200. Scientists now know of more than 20 times more planets outside our solar system than in it. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Blue halo around star may hint at other planets Jul 20, 2007
Astronomers think the dusty debris disk around the star HD 15115 is being affected by extrasolar planets in the system or nearby stars with very elliptical orbits. One possible culprit is HIP 12545, a star located only 10 light years away from HD 15115. (MSNBC -- Technology)
Exoplanet Giants Are Rare Jul 19, 2007
University of Arizona astronomers, in collaboration with scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Germany, Italy's Arcetri Observatory, the European Southern Observatory in Chile, the W.M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics conducted a benchmark three-year survey using direct detection techniques sensitive to extrasolar planets far from their stars. The findings suggest extrasolar planets more massive than Jupiter at distances beyond... (SkyAndTelescope.com)
Giant planets usually snuggle up to their suns Jul 18, 2007
Called "hot Jupiters," these extrasolar planets hug their parent stars tighter than Mercury does the sun ... The majority of extrasolar planets known were found using the radial velocity method, which involves measuring the stellar wobbles caused by planets gravitationally tugging on their stars. (MSNBC -- Technology)
> read more Jul 17, 2007
Major research areas for the new telescope will be cosmology and the search for extrasolar planets. More information is available at the. (SkyAndTelescope.com)
