Most exoplanets orbiting close to their stars don’t have atmospheres. But Gliese 486b – orbiting a red dwarf star only 24 light-years away – does. It’s close enough to see well. Astronomers will be watching it! Source: https://earthsky.org/space/gliese-486b-hot-super-earth-with-atmosphere…
Tag: transits
Update on the 7 Earth-sized planets orbiting nearby TRAPPIST-1
A new study of the seven Earth-sized exoplanets around TRAPPIST-1 indicate that all 7 planets are extremely similar to each other in makeup, but potentially quite different from Earth. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/7-trappist-1-planets-similar-composition-unlike-earth…
Spectacular! Moon and Venus before sunrise
Over these next few days – December 11, 12 and 13, 2090 – watch for the waning crescent moon to pass by the dazzling planet Venus. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/spectacular-moon-and-venus-before-sunrise…
November 23 moon and ISS
The International Space Station orbits the Earth every 90 minutes To the eye alone, it looks like a bright, moving star. Various online tools can help you capture its fleeting pass in front of the moon or sun. Source: https://earthsky.org/todays-image/photo-iss-moon-transit-mumbai-nov23-2020…
Last quarter moon on November 8
Get up early, around the break of day tomorrow – November 8, 2020 – to see the moon at or near its last quarter phase, and assuming the position of the August noonday sun. Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/last-quarter-moon-on-november-8…
NASA’s Planet Patrol wants you to join the search for exoplanets
Do you want to be a planet-hunter? NASA has launched a new citizen science website called Planet Patrol where volunteers can help search for exoplanets in data from the TESS space telescope. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/exoplanets-nasas-planet-patrol-citizen-science…
Meet the Pi planet. It orbits its star every 3.14 days
In a fun cosmic coincidence, researchers used old Kepler spacecraft data to discover an Earth-sized exoplanet with an orbital period of 3.14 days, a number that matches the mathematical constant pi. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/pi-exoplanet-k2-315b-has-3-14-day-orbit…
X-ray data reveal 1st-ever planet orbiting stars in another galaxy
While extragalactic “rogue” planets – not orbiting any star – have been reported before, the new exoplanet is the first to be detected orbiting stars in another galaxy. And not just any galaxy … but M51, the beautiful Whirlpool, 23 million light-years away. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/1st-exoplanet-in-another-galaxy-whirlpool-m51-uls-1b…
ISS Transits Mars
Yes, but have you ever seen the space station do this? Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html…
Giant ‘survivor’ planet found orbiting dead star
For the first time, astronomers have detected a planet orbiting a white dwarf star. If further confirmed, the discovery shows that some planets could survive the destruction of their sun-like stars, and some might even remain potentially habitable. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/survivor-planet-wd-1856-b-orbiting-white-dwarf…