Primeval worlds and shrinking planets discovered beyond our Solar System. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

An extrasolar planet about one-fourth the heft of Jupiter might have formed from the collision and merger of two planets, astronomers announced today. Known as 2M1207B, the object orbits a brown-dwarf star called 2M1207A located 170 light-years from Earth and seen in the direction of the constellation Centaurus. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

An international team of astronomers with the Trans-atlantic Exoplanet Survey announce today the discovery of TrES-4, a new extrasolar planet in the constellation of Hercules. The new planet was identified by astronomers looking for transiting planets – that is, planets that pass in front of their home star – using a network of small automated telescopes. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Rocky extrasolar planets thought to be half frozen and half scorched might instead rock back and forth, creating large swaths of twilight with temperatures suitable for life. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Astronomers have announced the discovery of a fifth planet circling 55 Cancri, a star beyond our solar system. The star now holds the record for number of confirmed extrasolar planets orbiting in a planetary system. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Planet-seekers who have spotted 28 new planets orbiting other stars in the past year say Earth's solar system is far from unique and there could be billions of habitable planets. picked by AutumnLotus 3 years ago

Create your own system of planets. Change the direction and velocity of celestial bodies and keep them within your stars gravitational pull. Be sure to "select preset" at the top right & "set number of bodies" at bottom left. picked by ogri2003 2 years ago

The tell-tale signature of the molecule methane in the atmosphere of the Jupiter-sized extrasolar planet HD 189733b has been found with the Hubble Space Telescope. Under the right circumstances methane can play a key role in prebiotic chemistry – the chemical reactions considered necessary to form life as we know it. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Astronomers have discovered possibly the smallest extrasolar planet yet, a rocky world that's orbiting a star in the constellation Leo. "The study opens a new path that should lead to the discovery of even smaller planets in the near future, with the goal of eventually finding worlds more and more similar to the Earth." picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Hundreds of millions — or even billions — of years after planets would have initially formed around two unusual stars, a second wave of planetesimal and planet formation appears to be taking place. "This is a new class of stars, ones that display conditions now ripe for formation of a second generation of planets, long, long after the stars themselves formed." picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

As of July 20, the latest available date, 246 extrasolar planets had been detected circling other stars in the Milky Way galaxy. Among them are 25 alien "solar systems" consisting of two, three or four bodies orbiting single suns. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Astronomers say they have directly imaged a giant exoplanet orbiting its parent star. The announcement comes on the heels of two other reports this month of direct images of planets beyond our solar system.

The new infrared image shows the object as a speck of light near the star Beta Pictoris, which is 70 light-years from Earth, toward the constellation Pictor. picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago

Three undergraduate students, from Leiden University in the Netherlands, have discovered an extrasolar planet. The extraordinary find, which turned up during their research project, is about five times as massive as Jupiter. This is also the first planet discovered orbiting a fast-rotating hot star. picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago

Astronomers said Wednesday that they had found a miniature version of our own solar system 5,000 light-years across the galaxy — the first planetary system that really looks like our own, with outer giant planets and room for smaller inner planets.

They also found signs of Elvis and Amelia Earhart. picked by mahler87 2 years ago

Meteorites that are among the oldest rocks ever found have provided new clues about the conditions that existed at the beginning of the solar system, solving a longstanding mystery and overturning some accepted ideas about the way planets form. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Enter your age and discover your age on other planets in our solar system. (Good link on here for building a scaled solar system too). Not completely updated: Pluto still a planet on this site. picked by ogri2003 2 years ago

Small, rocky planets that could resemble the Earth or Mars may be forming around a star in the Pleiades star cluster. One of the stars in the cluster, also known as the Seven Sisters, is surrounded by an extraordinary number of hot dust particles that could be the "building blocks of planets". picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

In April, a European team of astronomers announced in Astronomy & Astrophysics the discovery of two possibly habitable Earth-like planets. A&A is now publishing two independent, detailed studies of this system, which confirm that one of the planets might indeed be located within the habitable zone around the star Gliese 581. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Debris spots found on stars reveal planets that went splat like bugs on a windshield. The finding could help unravel mysteries of planet formation. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Planets may be present in a quadruple star system 150 light years from Earth, according to Spitzer Space Telescope observations. The system, called HD 98800, consists of two pairs of stars in which the partners in each pair orbit one another closely. The pairs themselves travel around each other on a very elongated path. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago