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What is an exoplanet?
An exoplanet, also known as an extrasolar planet, is a planet that orbits a star outside our solar system. The first confirmed detection of an exoplanet occurred in 1992; since then, thousands of exoplanets have been discovered.
Exoplanets come in various sizes, ranging from smaller than Earth to larger than Jupiter. They can have diverse characteristics, such as rocky compositions, gaseous atmospheres, or both. Some exoplanets orbit their stars at distances that allow liquid water on their surfaces, which is considered a crucial factor for the potential development of life as we know it.
The methods used to detect exoplanets include the radial velocity method, which detects the gravitational pull of a planet on its star, causing the star to wobble, and the transit method, which observes the slight dimming of a star’s light as a planet passes in front of it. Other techniques, such as direct imaging and gravitational microlensing, are also employed to detect and study exoplanets.
The study of exoplanets has significantly expanded our understanding of the universe and the prevalence of planets beyond our solar system. It has provided insights into planetary formation, evolution, and the potential for habitability in other star systems.
Latest Exoplanet News
- Super-Jupiter Planet: NASA's Latest Discovery Explained - Newsweek
- Is this how you get hot Jupiters? - Phys.org
- NASA James Webb Telescope Captures Rare Image Of Giant Exoplanet In Nearby Solar System - Times Now
- Super-Jupiter exoplanet Eps Ind Ab directly imaged by Webb telescope - Earth.com
- GJ 238 b: A 0.57 Earth Radius Planet Orbiting an M2.5 Dwarf Star at 15.2 pc - Astrobiology News
- NEMESISPY: A Python Package For Simulating And Retrieving Exoplanetary Spectra - Astrobiology News
- The CARMENES Search for Exoplanets Around M Dwarfs. Revisiting the GJ 581 Multi-planetary System with New Doppler Measurements from CARMENES, HARPS, and HIRES - Astrobiology News
- Star alignment and a Planet’s origin: Case of HIP 65426 - Astrobites
- KMT-2021-BLG-2609Lb and KMT-2022-BLG-0303Lb: Microlensing Planets Identified Through Signals Produced By Major-image Perturbations - Astrobiology News
- Early Planet Formation in Embedded Disks (eDisk). XI. A High-resolution View Toward the BHR 71 Class 0 Protostellar Wide Binary - Astrobiology News
- JWST directly images a surprise super-Jupiter planet - Astronomy Magazine
- How stars' magnetic fields could impact the chance for life on orbiting planets - Space.com
- James Webb Space Telescope Directly Images Coldest Planet Yet - ExtremeTech
- NASA releases images of the coldest exoplanet ever photographed - TweakTown
- NASA Webb Telescope Captures Jupiter-Like Cold Exoplanet 12 Light-Years Away From Earth - ABP Live