.

Recent Comments

    TESS tagged posts

    Citizen Scientists help Discover Record-Breaking Exoplanet in Binary Star System

    May 1, 2024, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Citizen scientists help discover record-breaking exoplanet in binary star system
    An artist’s interpretation of TOI 4633 c, a Neptune-like exoplanet found orbiting the habitable zone of a sunlike star. The system contains a second star (right) and may also host another exoplanet (left). Credit: Ed Bell for the Simons Foundation

    A team of astronomers and citizen scientists has discovered a planet in the habitable zone of an unusual star system, including two stars and potentially another exoplanet.

    The planet hunters spotted the Neptune-like planet as it crossed in front of its host star, temporarily dimming the star’s light in a way akin to a solar eclipse on Earth...

    Read More

    Discovery of Two Planetary Systems around Sun-like Stars

    December 18, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Discovery of two planetary systems around sun-like stars
    Figure 1: The small panel on the top left shows an illustration of NASA’s TESS space telescope, responsible for the first identification of the exoplanets TOI-2141b and TOI-1736b. The background image is a photo of the OHP observatory with the dome of the 1.93 m telescope, where the SOPHIE instrument is installed, responsible for the detection and characterization of the exoplanets TOI-2141b, TOI-1736b, and TOI-1736c. Credit: Eder Martioli.

    A study published today (Dec. 15) in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics reveals the discovery of two new planetary systems orbiting stars similar to our sun, also known as solar analogs.

    The study was led by Dr...

    Read More

    Physics behind Unusual Behavior of Stars’ Super Flares discovered

    December 11, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Physics behind unusual behavior of stars' super flares discovered
    Modeled flare atmosphere and synthesized TESS light curves. Credit: The Astrophysical Journal (2023). DOI: 10.3847/1538-4357/ad077d

    Our sun actively produces solar flares that can impact Earth, with the strongest flares having the capacity to cause blackouts and disrupt communications—potentially on a global scale. While solar flares can be powerful, they are insignificant compared to the thousands of “super flares” observed by NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions. “Super flares” are produced by stars that are 100–10,000 times brighter than those on the sun.

    The physics are thought to be the same between solar flares and super flares: a sudden release of magnetic energy...

    Read More

    Hubble sees Evaporating Planet getting the Hiccups

    July 31, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    This artist’s illustration shows a planet (dark silhouette) passing in front of the red dwarf star AU Microscopii. The planet is so close to the eruptive star a ferocious blast of stellar wind and blistering ultraviolet radiation is heating the planet’s hydrogen atmosphere, causing it to escape into space. Four times Earth’s diameter, the planet is slowly evaporating its atmosphere, which stretches out linearly along its orbital path. This process may eventually leave behind a rocky core. The illustration is based on measurements made by the Hubble Space Telescope.
    Credits: NASA, ESA, and Joseph Olmsted (STScI)

    A young planet whirling around a petulant red dwarf star is changing in unpredictable ways orbit-by-orbit...

    Read More