Latest news with #exoplanets
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
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Scientists find temperate planet in nearby system full of rocky worlds
A tiny red star not far from Earth is turning out to be a heavyweight in the search for rocky worlds. Nestled just 35 light-years away in space, the star L 98-59 is home to a tight-knit pack of exoplanets, including one that now appears to orbit at just the right distance to harbor liquid water. Using data from NASA's TESS space telescope and a pair of high-precision instruments in Chile, scientists led by the Université de Montréal have confirmed a fifth planet in the system — and this one is in the so-called habitable zone. The team thinks it could receive as much warmth from its star as Earth does from the sun. And it's not alone. The L 98-59 system already has a reputation for its wide variety of intriguing exoplanets. "With its diversity of rocky worlds and range of planetary compositions, L 98-59 offers a unique laboratory to address some of the field's most pressing questions," said René Doyon, one of the study's researchers, in a statement. "What are super-Earths and sub-Neptunes made of? Do planets form differently around small stars? Can rocky planets around red dwarfs retain atmospheres over time?" Red dwarf stars like L 98-59, sometimes referred to as M-type stars, are the most ubiquitous kind in the Milky Way, yet nobody knows whether planets closely orbiting them can hold onto atmospheres, Néstor Espinoza, a Space Telescope Science Institute researcher, previously told Mashable. Though these host stars aren't as hot as the sun, nearby worlds would be exposed to their extreme stellar radiation. Most astronomers agree that detecting atmospheres in general is crucial in the search for habitable worlds. NASA has playfully called Earth's own atmosphere its "security blanket": Without it, the type of life flourishing here wouldn't exist. This cocoon holds oxygen in the air and filters out harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun, all while keeping the world warm. Furthermore, it creates pressure that allows liquid water to pool on the surface. Espinoza is a leader in the new massive James Webb Space Telescope study of rocky worlds, specifically to find out if planets around red dwarfs could have air. The campaign, first reported by Mashable, will take a closer look at a dozen nearby-ish planets outside the solar system over the next two years. One of the exoplanets in the L 98-59 system, located in the constellation Volans, has already gotten a first look from Webb. A separate research team revealed that L 98-59 d, a bit larger and heavier than Earth, could have a sulfur-rich atmosphere that reeks of burnt matches and rotten eggs. Agnibha Banerjee, one of the researchers, said the team will need more observations to confirm those findings. "If these findings can be confirmed and turn out to be true, this planet won't be pleasant on human noses," Banerjee previously told Mashable. "Then again, if a human in the far future were to ever visit, the smell would be the least of their problems — in the midst of crushing pressure, boiling temperatures, and toxic gases." The latest discovery by the Montreal team of a fifth planet, known as L 98-59 f — along with insights into its planetary neighbors — will be presented in a new paper accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journal. "These new results paint the most complete picture we've ever had of the fascinating L 98-59 system," said Charles Cadieux, first author of the paper, in a statement. "It's a powerful demonstration of what we can achieve by combining data from space telescopes and high-precision instruments on Earth, and it gives us key targets for future atmospheric studies with the James Webb Space Telescope." To discover the planet, the scientists didn't need new telescope time. Instead, they used cutting-edge techniques to squeeze more juice out of existing data. For instance, L 98-59 f doesn't cross in front of its star from Earth's point of view, making it invisible to planet-hunting cameras. But researchers were able to detect it through subtle wobbles in the star's motion, caused by the tug of the unseen planet's gravity. By combining and reanalyzing records, they also dramatically improved estimates of the other planets' sizes, weights, and orbits. One planet is smaller and lighter than Earth — a rare confirmed "sub-Earth" — while others show signs of being rich in water or heated by internal volcanic activity like Jupiter's moon Io, thanks to gravitational stretching. Many planet hunters haven't been this optimistic about the search for habitable worlds since the tantalizing TRAPPIST-1 system. "With these new results," said coauthor Alexandrine L'Heureux in a statement, "L 98-59 joins the select group of nearby, compact planetary systems that we hope to understand in greater detail over the coming years." Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
18-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Bad news for alien life? Earth-size planets may be less common than we thought
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. As many as 200 worlds beyond our solar system discovered by astronomers may be larger than estimated, which could influence the search for extraterrestrial life. That's the theory of a team of researchers who looked at hundreds of extrasolar planets, or exoplanets, observed by NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). TESS hunts exoplanets by catching them as they cross the face of, or "transit," their parent star, which causes a tiny drop in light from that star. The study team discovered that light from stars neighboring the one being transited could "contaminate" TESS' data, making it look like the transiting planet is blocking less light than it actually is. And that would make the planet look smaller than it is. "We found that hundreds of exoplanets are larger than they appear, and that shifts our understanding of exoplanets on a large scale," University of California, Irvine researcher and team leader Te Han said in a statement. "This means we may have actually found fewer Earth-like planets so far than we thought." Exoplanets throw shade Exoplanets are so distant and faint that it is only on rare occasions that astronomers can image them directly. That means the transit method has become the most successful way of detecting worlds beyond the solar system. It requires the planet and its star to be at the right angle in relation to Earth, and for astronomers to wait for the planet to make two transits to confirm its existence. The transit method is best at spotting short-period planets orbiting close to their host stars, because they make more frequent transits. The method also favors larger planets, which block more light. "We're basically measuring the shadow of the planet," said team member and UC Irvine astronomer Paul Robertson. The team gathered hundreds of TESS observations of exoplanets, sorting them by the width of the exoplanets in question. They then used computer modeling and data from the European Space Agency's (ESA) star-tracking mission Gaia to estimate how much light contamination TESS is experiencing during its observations. "TESS data are contaminated, which Te's custom model corrects better than anyone else in the field," said Robertson. "What we find in this study is that these planets may systematically be larger than we initially thought. It raises the question: Just how common are Earth-sized planets?" Move over Earth-like worlds: ocean planets could be more common Because of the biases of the transit method mentioned above, the number of exoplanets detected with TESS having sizes and compositions similar to those of Earth was already low. "Of the single-planet systems discovered by TESS so far, only three were thought to be similar to Earth in their composition," Han explained. "With this new finding, all of them are actually bigger than we thought." The likely outcome of this is that those exoplanets are larger ocean planets or "hycean worlds" covered by a large single ocean. Those worlds could also be gas giants smaller than Jupiter, like Neptune and Uranus. That impacts the search for life because, though hycean worlds are packed with water, they could be lacking other ingredients needed for life to arise. "This has important implications for our understanding of exoplanets, including, among other things, prioritization for follow-up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, and the controversial existence of a galactic population of water worlds," Roberston added. Related Stories: — The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its 1st exoplanet and snapped its picture (image) — Astronomers discover origins of mysterious double hot Jupiter exoplanets: 'It is a dance of sorts' — NASA exoplanet-hunting spacecraft and citizen scientists discover a cool new alien world The next step for Han, Roberston, and colleagues is to re-examine planets previously deemed uninhabitable due to their size, to see if they are larger than previously thought. In the meantime, the research is a reminder to astronomers to be cautious when assessing TESS data. The team's research was published on Monday (July 14) in the Astrophysical Journal Letters. Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Swiss exoplanet pioneer reflects on Earth's place in the cosmos
In October 1995, Michel Mayor and Didier Queloz made a groundbreaking discovery: the first exoplanet orbiting a solar-type star. This moment marked the beginning of a new era in astronomy and planetary science, earning the Swiss pair the 2019 Nobel Prize in Physics. In a recent visit to the Sorbonne, Queloz shared some of his insights with Radio France Internationale. Since the first discovery, nearly 6,000 exoplanets have been confirmed, with thousands more candidates awaiting verification. Each one offers a small glimpse into the diversity of planetary systems across the galaxy. While both Mayor and Queloz are Swiss, they come from the French-speaking region of Switzerland and have long-standing academic ties to French institutions. Growing interest in exoplanets Their discovery reverberated strongly through the French scientific community, contributing to a surge of interest in exoplanetology in France. Professor Queloz, for example, has collaborated with Paris Sciences et Lettres University and recently delivered a public lecture at Sorbonne University. During his visit to Paris, Queloz explained: 'Looking for exoplanets is essentially looking for us.' His words capture the deeper motivation behind this cosmic quest - not merely cataloging distant worlds, but seeking to understand our own place in the universe. From the Lab: French researchers uncover why solar system planets are unlikely to collide Philosphy and science Read more on RFI EnglishRead also:From the Lab: French researchers uncover why solar system planets are unlikely to collideFrom The Lab: How researchers reconstructed the face of a Napoleonic soldierFrom The Lab: France's SOLEIL synchrotron shines light on secrets of matter
Sustainability Times
13-07-2025
- Science
- Sustainability Times
'These Alien Oceans Are the Ultimate Game-Changer': NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory Poised to Expose Extraterrestrial Seas That Could Redefine All Life
IN A NUTSHELL 🌌 NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory aims to detect oceans on exoplanets, enhancing the search for extraterrestrial life. aims to detect oceans on exoplanets, enhancing the search for extraterrestrial life. 🔍 The telescope will use specular reflection to identify water bodies by analyzing how light reflects off surfaces. to identify water bodies by analyzing how light reflects off surfaces. ☁️ Challenges include dealing with cloud cover and achieving precise measurements of exoplanet brightness. and achieving precise measurements of exoplanet brightness. 🪐 Discovering oceans on tidally locked planets may reveal stable climates, indicating potential habitability. In humanity's eternal quest to find life beyond Earth, we may finally have a telescope that can spot not just planets—but oceans. On Earth, water is inseparable from life. It shapes our landscapes, carves canyons, forms clouds, and pulses through every living cell. It is no surprise, then, that our search for life elsewhere in the universe has become, at its core, a search for water. But while we've found thousands of exoplanets orbiting distant stars—some even within the so-called 'Goldilocks zone' where temperatures might allow for liquid water—one critical detail has eluded us: proof. Are there truly oceans out there, shimmering beneath alien suns? NASA's proposed Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) may soon be able to answer that question. The Cosmic Mirror: How Liquid Water Reveals Itself When light strikes a surface, the way it reflects depends on what that surface is made of. Rough, solid surfaces scatter light in all directions—a diffuse reflection. But liquids, with their smooth, mirror-like texture, reflect light in a way called specular reflection. On Earth, this is why a body of water can look dark and flat from one angle, but shimmer like a mirror from another. When the Sun hits it just right, that glint is unmistakable. The Habitable Worlds Observatory is designed to capture this very phenomenon—not on Earth, but on exoplanets tens to hundreds of light-years away. If a distant world has oceans, they will reflect starlight in a distinctive, directional pattern. By watching how that light changes as the planet rotates or orbits its star, the HWO could piece together not only that liquid water is present—but where it pools on the surface. 'Planets with large bodies of water on their surface will have more temperate and stable climates,' Cowan and his co-authors write. 'Such planets are the ideal places for life-as-we-know-it to arise and evolve.' 'Earth's Core Is Acting Up': NASA Links Planet-Wide Disturbance to Mysterious Energy Surge Emerging From Deep Within the Mantle Mapping Oceans on Spinning Worlds The beauty of the method lies in time—specifically, how a planet's brightness changes over time as it spins and moves through different phases of illumination. On a rotating planet like Earth, different features come into view with each turn. Oceans, continents, cloud systems—they all reflect light differently. The HWO will perform something akin to time-lapse photography from space, measuring how the reflectance of a planet varies over hours, days, even seasons. When a watery surface turns toward the right angle, it reflects light with a brilliance not seen in rocky terrain. That glint, carefully teased from the surrounding noise, could reveal a surface ocean. These changes aren't just visible in brightness—they show up in polarization as well. At crescent phases, when a planet is backlit by its star, water-rich surfaces tend to polarize light in unique, detectable ways. In other words, oceans don't just shine—they whisper their presence through the alignment of light waves. Detecting it requires not just powerful optics, but stability and patience. The HWO will need to record high-precision, time-resolved measurements over long periods. 'Space Needs Nuclear Now': This New Global Race to Harness Atomic Power Beyond Earth Is Accelerating Faster Than Expected The Challenge of Clouds and Shadows Earth has taught us much, but it's also revealed the complications. Our own atmosphere is often cloaked in cloud cover—so thick, in fact, that any attempt to map our oceans from a light-year away would be muddled by ever-changing clouds. Exoplanets, too, will likely have clouds—and those clouds will obscure parts of the surface, alter the reflected light, and complicate the story the data tells. The HWO's team knows this and is building models to work around it. Cloud-free regions can still reveal surface features, and by observing over time, the telescope may be able to average out the impact of variable weather systems. Instrumental precision will be key. The authors emphasize that for rotational mapping to work, the telescope must be stable over the timescale of a planet's rotation—likely somewhere between 10 to 100 hours. That kind of stability is achievable, but photometric precision—measuring tiny changes in brightness—remains the telescope's biggest challenge. Four or more separate measurements per planetary rotation will likely be needed. 'NASA Sounds the Alarm': Sudden Planet-Wide Disturbance Linked to Mysterious Subterranean Energy Surge Now Spreading Without Warning Tidally Locked Worlds: Oceans in Eternal Daylight Many potentially habitable exoplanets orbit red dwarf stars, and many of those planets are tidally locked—meaning one side always faces the star in unending daylight, while the other remains in perpetual night. That's not a death sentence for habitability. If the planet has a thick atmosphere or large oceans, heat could circulate efficiently. For tidally locked worlds, specular reflection might actually be easier to detect. Since the surface features never rotate out of view, any reflection from oceans would remain fixed relative to the planet's orbit. Over time, this stability could help astronomers isolate the signal from noise. By observing how the brightness and polarization of reflected light change as the planet orbits its star, the HWO could identify oceans even on these strange, unmoving worlds. A mirror that never turns still shines, if you know when to look. Discovering an ocean on an exoplanet would be more than just a scientific achievement—it would be a revelation. It would prove that conditions for life exist beyond Earth in a tangible, observable way. It would mean that somewhere, under a star not so different from our own, waves might be lapping at a rocky shore. NASA's Habitable Worlds Observatory is still in the proposal stage. It has not yet been approved, funded, or built. But its vision is clear. If launched, it would not be alone. Europe's Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) will soon begin observations from the ground, and other proposed missions—like the Large Interferometer For Exoplanets (LIFE)—may complement the HWO's efforts. In the end, the question is no longer if we'll find water among the stars. It's when. Could this discovery change our understanding of life in the universe? This article is based on verified sources and supported by editorial technologies. Did you like it? 4.6/5 (20)
News.com.au
08-07-2025
- Science
- News.com.au
NASA discovers potential alien world in distant star's habitable zone
Aliens are real. Well, maybe. Scientists have found yet another tantalising clue that we might not be alone in the universe. NASA has confirmed the discovery of an Earth-sized planet parked right in the 'habitable zone' of a distant red dwarf star. Called TOI 700 e (which honestly sounds like something Elon Musk would name his child), it's about 100 light-years away in the constellation Dorado, and roughly 95 per cent the size of Earth. Being in the habitable zone means it gets just the right amount of light and warmth from its star to potentially allow liquid water on its surface, one of the key ingredients for life as we know it. TOI 700 e isn't even the only one. There's another Earth-sized planet in the same system, TOI 700 d, which scientists spotted earlier. According to NASA, this discovery was made using its Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which is basically a cosmic surveillance camera watching for planets crossing in front of their stars. Scientists are keen to study the system more closely to figure out if these worlds really could be life-friendly. Meanwhile, in another breakthrough, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope snapped a direct image of a giant exoplanet called TWA 7b orbiting a different red dwarf star about 34 light-years away. This planet is much larger than Earth, over 100 times its mass, and has average temperatures near 48 degrees Celsius. Although it's not Earth-like, the fact astronomers could directly photograph it showcases just how powerful the Webb telescope is for exploring distant worlds in extraordinary detail. It also hints at just how many hidden planets might be lurking around these dim, reddish stars. Red dwarfs are the most common type of star in our galaxy, and they're proving to be rich hunting grounds for planet-spotters. Recent studies, including work with the CARMENES spectrograph, suggest they often have multiple small, rocky planets — some right in those life-friendly zones. The more we look, the more potential homes for life we seem to find. It's enough to make even the most sceptical stargazer wonder what's really out there. So, while we're not exactly rolling out the welcome mat for alien neighbours just yet, discoveries like these are undeniably exciting. I mean, a planet with none of my exes? Sign me up.
