Gas Giant Exoplanets

News & Articles

Does Distant Planet Host Volcanic Moon Like Jupiter’s Io?

5 min read

The existence of a moon located outside our solar system has never been confirmed but a new NASA-led study may…

Article4 weeks ago
This image shows the exoplanet Epsilon Indi Ab. The image is mostly black, with blue scale-like features apparent in the central region of the image. At the center of the image, there is a black circle, and in the center, a symbol representing a star. This black circle blocks the light from the host star. To the lower left of the circle is a fuzzy bright orange circle, which is the exoplanet.

NASA’s Webb Images Cold Exoplanet 12 Light-Years Away

6 min read

An international team of astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has directly imaged an exoplanet roughly 12 light-years from…

Article3 months ago

Discovery Alert: With Six New Worlds, 5,500 Discovery Milestone Passed!

4 min read

On Aug. 24, 2023, more than three decades after the first confirmation of planets beyond our own solar system, scientists…

Article4 months ago
Illustration of a planet, zoomed in on the planet’s dayside/nightside boundary. The planet encompasses takes up the full image. At the bottom left, the image is dark, depicting the nightside covering the planet in a dark shadow. In the right side of the image, the planet has a fuzzy orange-pink atmosphere with hints of latitudinal wispy cloud bands. The right upper corner is bright, where the star (not illustrated) shines.

NASA’s Webb Investigates Eternal Sunrises, Sunsets on Distant World

6 min read

Near-infrared spectral analysis of terminator confirms differences in morning and evening atmosphere Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have…

Article4 months ago
Illustration of an exoplanet with a hazy blue atmosphere and loose bands of clouds on the black background of space. The right three-quarters of the planet is lit by a star not shown in the illustration. The left quarter is in shadow. The terminator, the boundary between the day and night sides is gradual, not sharp. The planet is light blue with loose bands of white clouds. The limb of the planet (the edge) has a subtle blue glow.

Webb Cracks Case of Inflated Exoplanet

7 min read

Why is the warm gas-giant exoplanet WASP-107 b so puffy? Two independent teams of researchers have an answer. Data collected…

Article6 months ago
Illustration showing a hazy blue planet against the black background of space. The planet is in the left side of the frame. The axis is tilted roughly 20 degrees counter-clockwise from vertical. The eastern side (right half) is lit by a star out of view and the western side (left half) is in shadow. The terminator (the boundary between the day and night sides) is fuzzy. There are white patchy clouds visible on the dayside, near the terminator, along the equator, that appear to be originating from the nightside.

NASA’s Webb Maps Weather on Planet 280 Light-Years Away

6 min read

An international team of researchers has successfully used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to map the weather on the hot…

Article6 months ago