Whether you’re a six-year-old scouring the backyard on Easter morning, or an exoplanet astronomer with observing time on the James Webb Space Telescope, nothing beats the feeling of finding what you’re looking for. So, you can imagine the authors of today’s paper were pretty excited when they received their transmission spectroscopy data of the sub-Neptune known as TOI-270d.
We follow recipes for perfect cocktails, but we have yet to discover the recipe for sub-Neptune exoplanets. Today’s bite explores how hydrogen and silicates mix inside these mysterious worlds and what this tells us about their structure and evolution.
Pluto’s demotion from a planet didn’t just rewrite a definition, it launched an astronomical treasure hunt. Hidden amidst far flung icy bodies beyond Neptune, is there a ninth planet in our solar system?
We use bottles, and sometimes a Brita, but how do planets store their water? The authors of today’s paper made a model to find out, and to evaluate whether certain planets are good at hanging on to their water or not.
Exoplanets orbiting the most common stars in our galaxy experience intense space weather, raising questions about their ability to harbor life.
There are a few locations in the solar system where the push and pull of gravity mellows out and you can orbit in (relative) peace. Read all about these islands of tranquility we call Lagrange points!