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exoplanets

Exotic steam world exoplanets focus of new research

by Rachel Kim – Technology Editor August 31, 2025

written by Rachel Kim – Technology Editor

New Model to Unlock Secrets ⁢of Steamy Exoplanets

SANTA CRUZ,CA – researchers at ‍UC Santa cruz have developed⁣ a novel ⁢computational model to investigate ‌the internal structures of “steam world” exoplanets – a class of planet increasingly discovered ⁢orbiting distant‌ stars. ‌These sub-Neptune sized worlds, characterized ⁢by⁢ hot, steamy atmospheres, present a unique challenge to planetary scientists seeking to ⁢understand their composition and evolution.

The new model focuses on ‍the exotic behavior of water under the extreme pressures and temperatures found deep within these planets. Under such conditions, water may transform into “superionic ice,” a⁢ bizarre state of matter⁣ where hydrogen ions move freely through a‌ fixed lattice of oxygen atoms, behaving as both a solid and a liquid. This ⁤form of water doesn’t exist naturally on Earth, making its study reliant on advanced modeling techniques. Understanding the properties of‍ superionic ice is‌ crucial because ‍it significantly impacts a planet’s ⁤thermal evolution, magnetic field generation, and overall habitability.

This research, detailed in ⁤a paper published ⁤in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, aims to provide a more accurate picture of these⁤ enigmatic planets.The team’s work builds on recent discoveries like GJ 9827 d and planets within the Kepler-138 system, ‍which suggest a population of water-rich exoplanets⁢ may be more common than previously thought. By simulating the energetic aspects of these steam worlds, scientists⁢ hope to decipher the processes shaping ⁤their atmospheres and interiors, ultimately shedding light on the diversity of planetary systems ⁢beyond our own.

Source: Evolution of Steam Worlds: Energetic Aspects https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/add935
Via University of California, Santa Cruz https://news.ucsc.edu/2025/08/new-model-steam-worlds/

August 31, 2025 0 comments

Health

Larger Exoplanets: Scientists Rethink Size of Distant Worlds

by Dr. Michael Lee – Health Editor July 17, 2025

written by Dr. Michael Lee – Health Editor

Here’s a summary of the provided article:

New research suggests that over 200 known exoplanets are likely considerably larger than previously estimated. this finding, lead by doctoral student Te Han at UC Irvine, could alter how astronomers search for extraterrestrial life.

The study, published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, explains that astronomers typically detect exoplanets by observing the slight dip in a star’s light when a planet passes in front of it. Though, the team discovered that light from neighboring stars can “contaminate” these observations, making the transiting planet appear smaller than it actually is.

By analyzing data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and using observations from the Gaia mission to account for this contamination, Han’s team developed a model to correct these measurements. Their findings indicate that many exoplanets are systematically larger than initially thought.

This has a crucial implication for the search for Earth-like planets. The number of planets previously considered similar in size to Earth was already small, and with this new understanding, all of them are now believed to be larger. Instead of being rocky planets like Earth,these exoplanets are more likely to be “water worlds” (covered by a single ocean) or larger gaseous planets.While water worlds could potentially harbor life, they might lack the specific features that support life as we no it on Earth. This revelation will influence prioritization for follow-up observations with the James Webb Space Telescope and the ongoing discussion about the prevalence of water worlds in our galaxy.

The researchers plan to re-examine previously identified exoplanets and advise other scientists to be cautious when interpreting data from missions like TESS.

July 17, 2025 0 comments

Technology

Earth-Like Planets May Be ‘Abundant’ Around Red Dwarfs, Scientists Say

by Rachel Kim – Technology Editor July 6, 2025

written by Rachel Kim – Technology Editor

Earth-Like Planets May Be Common Near Solar System

New research suggests red dwarf stars frequently host small, rocky worlds.

Potentially habitable, Earth-like planets might be far more abundant in our cosmic neighborhood than previously understood. A recent study indicates these planets commonly orbit the most prevalent type of star.

Artist’s impression shows a sunset seen from the super-Earth Gliese 667 Cc. Astronomers have estimated that there are tens of billions of such rocky worlds orbiting faint red dwarf stars in the Milky Way alone. ESO/L. Calçada

Red Dwarf Stars and Exoplanet Discovery

European Southern Observatory data reveals that red dwarf stars, which are low-mass stars roughly one-tenth to one-fifth the mass of our sun, comprise approximately 80% of the Milky Way’s stellar population. It’s believed that among the 30 stars closest to Earth, 20 are red dwarfs, including Proxima Centauri, which may host two planets.

The CARMENES project has identified four new exoplanets, offering valuable insights into where more exoplanets are likely located. An exoplanet is defined as a planet orbiting a star other than our sun.

ForbesA Nearby Planet Could Be Earth 2.0 Or An ‘Evil Twin,’ Say ScientistsBy Jamie Carter

CARMENES Project Findings

Using the CARMENES instrument at the Calar Alto Observatory in Spain, astronomers examined 15 red dwarf stars. This led to the discovery of four new exoplanets: three Earth-sized and one 14 times larger.

Data extrapolation, featured in Astronomy & Astrophysics, indicates stars with less than 16% of the sun’s mass typically have two planets less than three times Earth’s mass. As of June 2024, over 5,600 exoplanets have been confirmed (NASA).

ForbesInside The Webb Telescope’s Search For Planets Around Alpha CentauriBy Jamie Carter

Implications of the Discovery

The discovery is mainly confined to smaller planets, as larger planets seem uncommon around red dwarfs. “It is quite remarkable how often small planets occur around very low-mass stars,” said lead author **Dr. Adrian Kaminski** from the Königstuhl Observatory at the Center for Astronomy at Heidelberg University, Germany. “This suggests that low-mass stars tend to form smaller planets in close orbits.”

ForbesA Nearby Planet Could Be Earth 2.0 Or An ‘Evil Twin,’ Say ScientistsBy Jamie Carter

Habitability and Future Research

Among the 5,000+ exoplanets discovered, none perfectly mirrors Earth in terms of its star type, mass, radius, and surface temperature. However, the three small planets found by CARMENES do align with some habitability criteria, besides orbiting a red dwarf.

“Small, rocky planets in the so-called habitable zone – the area around a star where water could exist in liquid form – are potential candidates for habitable worlds,” stated **Prof. Dr. Andreas Quirrenbach**, director of the Königstuhl Observatory. He also noted red dwarf stars, being common and long-lived, might offer stable conditions conducive to life’s evolution.

July 6, 2025 0 comments

Technology

Astronomers Discover Potentially Habitable Exoplanet TOI-715 b Orbiting a Young Star

by Chief editor of world-today-news.com February 6, 2024

written by Chief editor of world-today-news.com

Written by Heba Al-Sayed Tuesday, February 6, 2024 05:00 AM Astronomers have discovered a type of… Exoplanets Called a “super-Earth,” it lies in the habitable zone of its young star. It exists in the universe’s backyard, just 137 light-years away. The planet, called TOI-715 b, is arousing the interest of astronomers who are increasingly interested in the possibility of habitable planets orbiting stars. Very different from our sun.

Although it may seem logical to search for potentially habitable planets when searching for Earth-like planets orbiting Sun-like stars, these are not the only targets astronomers are interested in.

One problem is that most of the planets discovered are much larger than Earth, partly because small planets are difficult to detect. Another problem is that the most common star in our galaxy is not a yellow dwarf star like our Sun, but a smaller, lighter, redder star called a red dwarf.

When researchers discover rocky planets orbiting red dwarfs, of which only a few have been identified so far, it increases the pool of potentially habitable worlds that could exist out there.

Because red dwarf stars emit much less heat than stars like our Sun, the habitable zone around them is much narrower.

The habitable zone refers to the distance from the star at which water can exist as a liquid on the planet’s surface, that is, when the planet’s surface temperature is between 0 and 100 degrees Celsius.

However, it takes much more than just being in the habitable zone for a planet to become habitable and there are other facts that are important in determining habitability, such as how much atmosphere a planet has, how much radiation it receives from its star, and whether it has a mix of oceans and land. .

This particular exoplanet is located in the core of its star’s habitable zone and orbits the star in just 19 days, sitting right next to it.

This helped astronomers discover the planet because it frequently passes in front of its star as seen from Earth. This was also how NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey spacecraft, or TESS, was able to identify it.

With a diameter of about one and a half times Earth, it is the smallest planet in the habitable zone discovered by TESS. To learn more about whether a planet is actually habitable, astronomers need to use another instrument, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, to observe its atmosphere and see if He can detect water there.

February 6, 2024 0 comments

Technology

Rare Discovery of Exoplanets Orbiting Dead Stars by James Webb Telescope

by Chief editor of world-today-news.com February 4, 2024

written by Chief editor of world-today-news.com

Written by Amira Shehata Sunday, February 4, 2024 06:00 PM Discover James Webb Telescope The astronaut made a rare discovery when he identified a possible rare direct orientation of two exoplanets orbiting two different dead stars. Not only do the planets strongly resemble the solar system’s gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, but their dead stars also serve as a counterpart to the Sun’s fate.

According to the “Space” website, very few planets have been discovered around dead stars, and what is exceptional about these two planet candidates is that they are more similar to the planets in our solar system in terms of temperature, age, mass, and orbital separation than any planets that have been discovered previously. .

“This provides our first opportunity to see what a planetary system looks like after its star dies,” said Susan Mulally, the research’s principal investigator and an astronomer at the Space Telescope Science Institute.

The candidate planets were observed directly by the telescope’s mid-infrared instrument (MIRI) as they orbited their stars WD 1202-232 and WD 2105-82.

One of the exoplanet candidates is located at a distance from its host star, about 11.5 times the distance between Earth and the Sun, while the other candidate is located farther from its dead parent star, about 34.5 times the distance between our planet and our star.

Exoplanet discoveries point to what would happen to planets such as Mars, the gas giant Jupiter and Saturn, when the Sun dies.

February 4, 2024 0 comments

Technology

Planets with Underground Oceans: Proxima Centauri b and 16 Nearby Worlds Could Be Habitable

by Chief editor of world-today-news.com December 29, 2023

written by Chief editor of world-today-news.com

Scientists believe that the planet Proxima Centauri b is one of many nearby worlds that could be habitable.

The authors of a study published in the Astrophysical Journal conducted a new study of the Earth-sized planets that are closest to us. Scientists have concluded that 17 of these planets are most likely similar to Jupiter’s moon Europa or Saturn’s moon Enceladus. That is, these are not ordinary rocky worlds, as they are considered, but planets covered with an icy shell with oceans of liquid water under this shell. Life may exist in these oceans and signs of its existence can be detected by analyzing geysers that fly into space from under the surface of the planets, writes IFLScience.

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It is believed that extraterrestrial life could thrive on Earth-sized planets that are in the habitable zone of their star. In this case, there are conditions for liquid water to exist on the surface of the planet. Water is essential for all life as we know it and almost any life we can imagine.

Important Not from our world. A giant mirror and a planet with a tail: unexpected discoveries of planets in 2023

Although the moons Enceladus and Europa are outside the habitable zone of the Sun, scientists believe there may be life in their underground oceans, which are hidden under an icy shell. On the other hand, many planets that are at a similar distance from their stars may also have internal oceans. And scientists conducted a study of 17 such worlds that are closest to Earth.

Scientists believe that these planets may have a shell of ice, but the internal heat and tidal forces of their host stars allow underground oceans of liquid water to exist. Due to strong internal heating, cryovolcanic eruptions can occur on all these planets in the form of geysers emerging into space from cracks in the ice shell.

Geysers on Enceladus. Due to strong internal heating, cryovolcanic eruptions can occur on all these planets in the form of geysers emerging into space from cracks in the ice shell

Photo: NASA

Of greatest interest to researchers is the planet closest to Earth outside the solar system, called Proxima Centauri b, which is similar in size to Earth. Past studies have shown that this planet is in the habitable zone of its star, but life most likely cannot exist here due to the fact that powerful radiation from the star Proxima Centauri destroyed the planet’s atmosphere. In this case, even if there were oceans there, they would all evaporate.

But the authors of a new study believe that the planet Proxima Centauri b, like the other 16 worlds, is much colder than previously thought. Therefore, even in the absence of an atmosphere, the planet’s icy shell can protect the underground ocean.

The authors of a new study believe that the planet Proxima Centauri b, like the other 16 worlds, is much colder than previously thought. Therefore, even in the absence of an atmosphere, the planet’s icy shell can protect the underground ocean

Photo: NASA

While some of the planets in the sample have very thick ice cover, Proxima Centauri b may have a thickness of about 60 meters. This is much less than the thickness of Europa’s ice shell (about 20 km). In this case, geysers from under the surface will be able to burst out with great force and have a vast size.

Another planet that scientists have studied, which scientists also consider a good place to search for extraterrestrial life, is called LHS 1140b. The thickness of the ice shell there is approximately 2 km, according to scientists.

The study authors say geysers on these planets can erupt at speeds that are hundreds of times faster than similar events on Enceladus. Signs of extraterrestrial life can be found in these geysers, and modern telescopes can do this.

As I already wrote Focus, NASA showed one day of the Curiosity rover on Mars in 10 seconds. Thanks to a new video, you can see what changes occur on the extraterrestrial landscape during the day.

December 29, 2023 0 comments

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