A planet once believed to orbit the star 40 Eridani A—home to the fictional planet Vulcan from the Star Trek universe—is actually an astronomical illusion caused by the star’s own pulses and tremors, according to a new study. The potential discovery of a planet orbiting a star made famous by Star Trek caused excitement and […]
Exoplanets
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NASA Discovers Planet 55 Cancri-e has an Atmosphere
NASA scientists have potentially uncovered evidence of atmospheric gases surrounding 55 Cancri e, a hot rocky exoplanet orbiting a star similar to our Sun located about 41 light-years away in the constellation Cancer. This discovery, made with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), represents a significant leap in the study of exoplanets, offering the strongest […]
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Mysterious Rainbow “Glory” Lights Observed for the First Time on a Planet Outside the Solar System
Scientists have found early signs of something called the “glory effect” on a planet outside of our solar system for the first time. The glory effect causes colorful concentric rings of light and is similar to a rainbow. But it only happens under special conditions. The glory happens when light reflects off clouds made of […]
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Dinosaurs could exist on other planets, which scientists believe would be easier to detect than modern Earth
Using historical Earth models, Cornell University scientists suggest that dinosaurs or large, complex life could exist on exoplanets with high oxygen levels, guided by identifiable “sunlight fingerprints”.
