Hoosiers who wake up early Monday morning can experience a “parade of planets,” as some are calling it — an alignment of six planets that takes place in the early morning hours of June 3. While that’s exciting news, avid sky watchers may need to curb their enthusiasm. Most of these planets won’t be visible … Read more
Gliese 12 b, which orbits a cool, red dwarf star just 40 light-years away, promises to tell astronomers more about how planets close to their stars retain or lose their atmospheres. In this artist’s concept, Gliese 12 b is depicted while maintaining a rarefied atmosphere. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Pain (Caltech-IPAC) Scientists have discovered Gliese 12 b, … Read more
Astronomers have spotted dozens of rogue planets floating loose from their stars after turning the Euclid Space Telescope to look at a remote region of the Milky Way. The wandering worlds were spotted deep in the Orion Nebula, a giant cloud of dust and gas 1,500 light-years away, and described in the first scientific results … Read more
Astronomers believe they have solved a remarkable and widely known cosmic mystery, NASA announced this week. Two groups of researchers, mainly using observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, have discovered what causes certain planets to form to look “swollen” or bloated much larger than the dimensions suggested by their remarkably low density. It’s a … Read more
WASP-193b, a new exoplanet, is 50% larger than Jupiter, but seven times less massive, with an extremely low density comparable to cotton candy. Discovered by WASP and confirmed by observatories in Chile, the formation challenges current planetary theories and requires further research. Credit: SciTechDaily.com This exoplanet is larger but seven times less massive than Jupiter … Read more