quartz crystals getty Researchers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have detected evidence for rock crystals or quartz in the high-altitude clouds of WASP-17 b, a hot Jupiter exoplanet 1,300 light-years from Earth. The detection, which was made possible thanks to Webb’s Mid-Infrared Instrument, marks the first time that this mineral common on Earth has …
Illustration of the planet 55 Cancri e, also called Janssen. getty The search for exoplanets—worlds that orbit stars other than our sun—may be focused on discovering another Earth, but it continues to reveal just how bizarre our galaxy’s population of worlds really is. It’s also underlining just how untypical our solar system is. Large lava …
An artistic representation showcases the planet Beta Pictoris B orbiting the young star Beta Pictoris. ESO L. Calçada/N. Risinger Decades ago, astronomers embarked on a new frontier of exploration as they began discovering exoplanets – planets located outside our solar system. These distant worlds, which orbit around other stars, captivate with their mystery and fascination. …
A recently discovered planet called Halla defies conventional understanding by orbiting a red giant star instead of being engulfed by it. The planet, about the size of Jupiter, is located in the Ursa Minor constellation approximately 520 light-years away from our solar system. Image: W. M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko Astronomers have made a perplexing discovery …
An artist’s portrayal of a distant exoplanet resembling Jupiter. AF Lep b, which is approximately three times the mass of Jupiter, orbits AF Leporis, a youthful star similar to our Sun, situated about 87.5 light-years away. getty In the realm of exoplanets, the discovery of over 5,000 of them has mostly been inferred. Astronomers primarily …