In two studies recently released by a group of astronomers researching exoplanets, the first direct observations of atmospheric loss on mini-Neptune exoplanets were confirmed. What\u2019s more, the data from the studies points to the atmospheric loss potentially causing the mini-Neptunes to transform into super-Earth exoplanets \u2014 a stunning discovery in exoplanet research.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost astronomers suspected that young, mini-Neptunes must have evaporating atmospheres. But, nobody had ever caught one in the process of doing so until now,\u201d said Michael Zhang, a graduate student at the California Institute of Technology and lead author of both studies.<\/p>\n
The data from the studies also highlights another discovery, that an exoplanet\u2019s parent star could be pulling in the atmospheric gases that were seen to be escaping from the planet. The researchers used data from observations made by the joint NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope in low Earth orbit and from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Mini-Neptunes and atmospheric loss <\/p>\n
Throughout the universe, exoplanets can be found orbiting parent stars in the millions of galaxies that fill the vastness of space. In the Milky Way alone, nearly 5,000 exoplanets have been detected, all of which come in different sizes, compositions, orbits, shapes, and much, much more. Additionally, there is evidence that exoplanets may exist outside of our galaxy \u2014 likely bringing the total number of exoplanets in the universe into the billions.<\/p>\n