The exploration and study of exoplanets have advanced significantly in recent years, leading scientists to reconsider how these distant worlds are classified. As our understanding deepens, so does the ...

New research has unveiled the potential for an atmosphere around an Earth -sized planet located approximately 40 light-years ...

Exoplanet habitability depends on a whole host of factors, with liquid water at the top of the list. It also requires a stable atmosphere, the right chemistry, and possibly even things like plate ...

When scientists discovered the first planet orbiting another star in 1995, few outside astronomy circles noticed. That planet, 51 Pegasi b, opened the door to a field that now boasts more than 5,000 ...

Dark matter is one of the biggest puzzles in science. Although it makes up about 85 percent of all matter in the universe, it has never been directly observed. You can’t see it, touch it, or hold it ...

As missions like Kepler and TESS discovered more rocky exoplanets in recent years, scientists looked forward to the launch of the JWST. The powerful space telescope has the ability to gather infrared ...

"Lava planets are in such extreme orbital configurations that our knowledge of rocky planets in the solar system does not directly apply." Astronomers may be starting to get the goods on lava planets.

The candidate gas giant orbits Alpha Centauri A, a nearby star much like our sun. Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) have found strong evidence for a new exoplanet — one orbiting ...

The find represents the first clear detection of a baby planet taking shape within a disc of dust and gas with multiple rings. The ground-breaking discovery was made using European Southern ...