Hot Jupiters might end up very close to stars because a magnetic field halts their progress—and future observations could confirm the idea.
exoplanets
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A Magma Ocean Fuels This Exoplanet’s Atmosphere
The finding is an atmospheric first for astronomers but not for the planet.
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A Step Closer to Solving the Fermi Paradox
Finding evidence of complex life elsewhere in the Milky Way galaxy hinges on locating rocky planets with plate tectonics and a mixture of landmasses and oceans, new research suggests.
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Red-Light-Loving Bacteria Could Expand the Search for Life
Scientists are uncovering genes responsible for oxygenic photosynthesis in cyanobacteria to shift the search for potentially habitable worlds.
Posted inEditors' Highlights
Towards a Unified Framework for Earth, Mars, Titan, and Exoplanets
From a simple set of in situ or synthetic data, a general unified model has been developed to calculate turbulent fluxes and evaporation rates on any rocky body with an atmosphere.
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Rare “Glory” Possibly Seen on Exoplanet’s Horizon
This rainbow-like atmospheric phenomenon depends on a very specific set of circumstances. It is common on Earth and incredibly rare beyond it.
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Tatooine, Trisolaris, Thessia: Sci-Fi Exoplanets Reflect Real-Life Discoveries
After astronomers discovered exoplanets wildly different from Earth, exoplanets in science fiction became less Earth-like, too.
Posted inResearch Spotlights
Out With the Old, in With the Cold
A 12-meter telescope at the Arecibo Observatory gets outfitted with a wideband cryogenic system to expand its capabilities.
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Giant Planets May Be “Agents of Chaos”
Two studies suggest that some giants could make it difficult or even impossible for terrestrial planets to remain in a star’s habitable zone.
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These Four Exoplanets Have Wild, Rocky Weather
On many exoplanets, conditions are so exotic that minerals form clouds and fall as rain. Recent studies revealed the rocky weather on these four exoplanets in more detail than ever before.