exoplanets

In an effort to detect the radio emissions from a hypothetical extraterrestrial intelligence, it helps to know where to look. Space, after all, is a very big place and the chances of accidentally stumbling across an alien television signal is very low. So, using data from the Kepler space...

Theoretical physics professor Michio Kaku stated that Gilese 581g is 20 light years from Earth or about 123 trillion miles away in the constellation of Libra.

"Scientists have discovered a planet which could have the most Earth-like environment ever found - raising a 'very compelling case' for life there. Gliese 581g, located around 123trillion miles away, orbits a star at a distance that places it squarely in the habitable - or Goldilocks - zone...

NASA unveiled a wealth of new data from its planet-seeking Kepler space telescope today (Feb. 2) - observations that significantly increase the number of possible alien planets and identify potential Earth-size worlds, including 54 planets that could be habitable. To date, more than 500 alien...

NASA's Kepler mission has already found more than 1,200 potential alien planets, but it will likely be a few years before it hauls in the exoplanet "holy grail" – an alien Earth. Scientists announced yesterday (Feb. 2) that the Kepler space telescope spotted 1,235 exoplanet candidates in its...

Astronomers said on Thursday they had found six planets orbiting a distant star in the most exciting but also most challenging find since exploration of other solar systems began 15 years ago. None of the so-called exoplanets, orbiting the star Kepler-11 2,000 light years away, is remotely...

SEATTLE — Astronomers announced the discovery today (Jan. 10) of the first "unquestionably rocky" alien world — a planet called Kepler-10b. Scientists have announced other rocky exoplanets in the past, but Kepler-10b earns its title, researchers said, because they're sure of its composition...

Astronomers have discovered the smallest planet outside our Solar System, and the first that is undoubtedly rocky like Earth. Measurements of unprecedented precision have shown that the planet, Kepler 10b, has a diameter 1.4 times that of Earth, and a mass 4.6 times higher. However, because it...

SEATTLE — Astronomers announced the discovery today (Jan. 10) of the first "unquestionably rocky" alien world — a planet called Kepler-10b. Scientists have announced other rocky exoplanets in the past, but Kepler-10b earns its title, researchers said, because they're sure of its composition...

NASA has spotted a tiny, rocky planet about the size of Earth doing a speedy orbit of a star outside our solar system, but its scorching temperatures are too hot for life, the space agency said Monday. The exoplanet, named Kepler-10b, is the smallest-ever planet discovered outside our solar...

In the year 2010, humanity made first contact with extraterrestrials — at least according to the sequel to the acclaimed film "2001: A Space Odyssey." Nothing quite so earth-shattering happened in the real world this year. But space-science researchers did make a number of extraordinary...

In an exciting example of international collaboration, a Qatar astronomer teamed with scientists at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and other institutions to discover a new alien world. This "hot Jupiter," named Qatar-1b, adds to the growing...

Watts Up With That? Dec 11, 2010 NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope Reveals First Carbon-Rich Planet Signature of a Carbon-Rich Planet This plot of data from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope indicates the presence of molecules in the planet WASP-12b — a super-hot gas giant that orbits tightly...

Galactic cannibalism brings an exoplanet of extragalactic origin within astronomers' reach. An exoplanet orbiting a star that entered our Milky Way from another galaxy has been detected by a European team of astronomers using the MPG/ESO 2.2-meter telescope at the European Southern...

Astronomers have announced a haul of planets found beyond our Solar System. The 32 “exoplanets” ranged in size from five times the mass of Earth to 5-10 times the mass of Jupiter, the researchers said. They were found using a very sensitive instrument on a 3.6m telescope at the European...

In a recent presentation, Kepler co-investigator Dimitar Sasselov preempted the official announcement that the exoplanet-hunting Kepler Space Telescope has discovered about 140 candidate worlds orbiting other stars that are "like Earth." Usually, announcements like these happen after an...

NASA astronomers have successfully demonstrated that a David of a telescope can tackle Goliath-size questions in the quest to study Earth-like planets around other stars. Their work provides a new tool for ground-based observatories, promising to accelerate the search for prebiotic, or...

We'll know soon whether we're alone, astronomers say Excited scientists say they could find Earth-like planets in just a few years Thu, 07 Jan 2010 The star.com WASHINGTON–Astronomers say they are on the verge of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, a key step in determining if...

NASA's Kepler space telescope, designed to find Earth-sized planets in the habitable zone of Sun-like stars, has discovered its first five new exoplanets, or planets beyond our solar system. Kepler's high sensitivity to both small and large planets enabled the discovery of the exoplanets, named...

NASA telescope detects 5 sizzling exoplanets David Perlman, Chronicle Science Editor Tuesday, January 5, 2010 http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/articl...#ixzz0blLGbwIV