For life to form on a planet it needs to orbit the right kind of star
In the search for life-sustaining planets we must first choose the right host star.
View ArticleStudy finds small solar eruptions can have profound effects on unprotected...
While no one yet knows what's needed to build a habitable planet, it's clear that the interplay between the sun and Earth is crucial for making our planet livable - a balance between a sun that...
View ArticleEight new planets found in 'Goldilocks' zone
Astronomers announced today that they have found eight new planets in the "Goldilocks" zone of their stars, orbiting at a distance where liquid water can exist on the planet's surface. This doubles the...
View ArticleBest of Last Week – Sun may determine lifespan, super-insulated clothing and...
(Phys.org)—It was a good start to the New Year, particularly for space exploration. Researchers studying images taken by NASA's Curiosity rover noted potential signs of ancient life on Mars—sedimentary...
View ArticleEarth's moon may not be critical to life
The Moon has long been viewed as a crucial component in creating an environment suitable for the evolution of complex life on Earth, but a number of scientific results in recent years have shown that...
View ArticleSome potentially habitable planets began as gaseous, Neptune-like worlds
Two phenomena known to inhibit the potential habitability of planets—tidal forces and vigorous stellar activity—might instead help chances for life on certain planets orbiting low-mass stars,...
View ArticlePlanets orbiting red dwarfs may stay wet enough for life
Small, cold stars known as red dwarfs are the most common type of star in the Universe, and the sheer number of planets that may exist around them potentially make them valuable places to hunt for...
View ArticleThe sun won't die for 5 billion years, so why do humans have only 1 billion...
In a few billion years, the sun will become a red giant so large that it will engulf our planet. But the Earth will become uninhabitable much sooner than that. After about a billion years the sun will...
View ArticleEarth-like planets are more likely to orbit sun-like stars rather than...
Simulations by researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology and Tsinghua University indicate that Earth-like planets are more likely to be found orbiting Sun-like stars rather than lower-mass stars...
View ArticlePlanets can alter each other's climates over eons
A new study sheds light on how exoplanets in tightly-packed solar systems interact with each other gravitationally by affecting one another's climates and their abilities to support alien life.
View ArticleWater-world Earths could host life, even if they're askew
Life could be habitable on an Earth-sized waterworld tilted on its side if the oceans aren't too shallow, a new study reveals.
View ArticleHunting transiting exoplanets
European Southern Observatory (ESO) gears up for the exoplanet hunting. The Next-Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), a wide-field observing system made up of an array of twelve telescopes was installed...
View Article'Habitable' planet GJ 581d previously dismissed as noise probably does exist
A report published in Science has dismissed claims made last year that the first super-Earth planet discovered in the habitable zone of a distant star was 'stellar activity masquerading as planets.'...
View ArticleTechniques to prove or disprove existence of other planets
Astronomers long have sought to find planets that can sustain life as humans know it. Four years ago, they thought they had one, possibly even two, pointing to signs that suggested that at least one...
View ArticleSome habitable exoplanets could experience wildly unpredictable climates
As telescopes of ever-greater power scan the cosmos looking for life, knowing where to look—and where not to waste time looking—will be of great value.
View ArticlePlanets in the habitable zone around most stars, calculate researchers
Astronomers have discovered thousands of exoplanets in our galaxy, the Milky Way, using the Kepler satellite and many of them have multiple planets orbiting the host star. By analysing these planetary...
View ArticleNASA's Curiosity rover finds fresh signs of ingredients for life on Mars
Mars's life-friendly past just got friendlier. Using samples previously collected by the NASA rover Curiosity, scientists have discovered evidence of nitrates in Martian rock: nitrogen compounds that...
View ArticleLife needs an atmosphere, but how much is too much?
How much atmosphere is too much for life? As scientists discover more super-Earths and mini-Neptunes, the question becomes more relevant.
View Article'Venus zone' narrows search for habitable planets
Long before the hunt began to find Earth lookalikes around other stars, one planet in the Solar System had already been named Earth's twin. With its similar size and mass, Venus measures very close to...
View ArticleTau Ceti: The next Earth? Probably not
As the search continues for Earth-size planets orbiting at just the right distance from their star, a region termed the habitable zone, the number of potentially life-supporting planets grows. In two...
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