Tag: exoplanets
-
Webb detects neon in young star system, provides insight into planet formation
In 2008, observations from NASA’s now-retired Spitzer infrared space telescope hinted at the presence of neon within the protoplanetary disk of Sun-like star SZ Chamaeleontis (SZ Cha). However, Spitzer’s instruments could not confirm whether this reading was correct. Over a decade after Spitzer’s results were published, the joint NASA, European Space Agency, and Canadian Space…
-
Astronomers say new telescopes should take advantage of “Starship paradigm”
This slide from a presentation by Lee Feinberg, an engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, shows concepts for a space telescope fitting inside the volumes of a SpaceX Starship rocket and a Blue Origin New Glenn rocket. Credit: NASA/Lee Feinberg A consensus among leading American astronomers is that NASA’s next wave of great observatories…
-
Using Webb, scientists discover carbon dioxide and methane in habitable-zone exoplanet
Using the joint NASA/European Space Agency/Canadian Space Agency James Webb Space Telescope, scientists have discovered the presence of carbon-bearing molecules within the atmosphere of exoplanet K2-18 b. Methane and carbon dioxide are among these carbon-bearing molecules. The discovery of the molecules is allowing scientists to better understand K2-18 b. The planet has been the subject…
-
Using data from Spitzer and TESS, scientists discover exoplanet littered with volcanoes
Using data collected by NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope and NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a team of scientists has discovered an exoplanet that could potentially be covered with volcanoes. The exoplanet is Earth-sized, and the team’s results suggest that the gravitational pull of a neighboring exoplanet could be causing an increase in volcanic…
-
Using data from Spitzer and TESS, scientists discover exoplanet littered with volcanoes
Using data collected by NASA’s retired Spitzer Space Telescope and NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), a team of scientists has discovered an exoplanet that could potentially be covered with volcanoes. The exoplanet is Earth-sized, and the team’s results suggest that the gravitational pull of a neighboring exoplanet could be causing an increase in volcanic…
-
With help from NEOWISE, astronomers observe giant star destroying planet for the first time
Using the California Institute of Technology’s (Caltech) Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) and NASA’s Near-Earth Object Wide Field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) observatory, a group of scientists has observed an aging star destroying a planet within its own star system for the first time. Astronomers have long believed that such a phenomenon occurred in red giant…
-
Using JWST, scientists observe silicate clouds and measure the temperature of exoplanets
With help from the joint NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope, two teams of scientists have made groundbreaking, first-of-their-kind discoveries on two exoplanets. One team utilized the immense power of Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) and Near-Infrared Spectrograph (NIRSpec) instruments to observe and characterize clouds and molecules in the atmosphere of an exoplanet located 40 light-years away.…
-
Webb peers at young star’s dusty disk, discovers an exoplanet, and uncovers star formation
At the 241st meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) on Jan. 11, three teams presented research that utilized the capabilities of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. The first team used Webb to observe the dusty disk surrounding a young red dwarf star, the second to discover an exoplanet, and the third used the telescope’s…
-
TESS returns from safe mode, the case of the missing exoplanet atmosphere
Following an incident that triggered the telescope to enter safe mode, NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has resumed normal science operations in its highly elliptical Earth orbit. TESS entered safe mode on Monday, Oct. 10, and was in the protective states until Thursday, Oct. 13, at approximately 22:30 UTC. Meanwhile, a team of researchers…
-
As Webb begins observing exoplanets, scientists use Spitzer data & brown dwarfs to reveal how silicate clouds form
In a new study from a group of researchers in Canada, data from NASA’s now-retired Spitzer Space Telescope was used to determine the conditions under which silicate clouds form on distant exoplanets outside of our solar system — giving scientists insight into what’s inside the atmospheres of exoplanets similar in size, temperature, and composition to…