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An artist's impression of a planet about to get munched by a star

Space

We've seen a star devouring a planet for the first time

In a preview of what’s to come for Earth in about 5 billion years, astronomers have spotted a sun-like star gobbling up a planet and belching out a blast of light and energy

News

Distant world breaks record for heaviest element on an exoplanet

Space

Distant world breaks record for heaviest element on an exoplanet

News

A planet, one side covered in water, the other in ice

Space

Exoplanets with a permanent day side may sometimes flip into night

News

A super-Earth orbiting its red-dwarf

Physics

Are there planets that are better for life than Earth?

Comment

$Trappist-1 is a red-dwarf star, the most common variety, located some 40 light-years away in Aquarius. In 2015, astronomers discovered that Trappist-1 was host to three earth-sized planets. Then it came under the spotlight again in 2017 when NASA scientists found an additional four planets, taking the total up to seven. This is the most terrestrial planets that have ever been found to orbit a single star, including our own Solar System. Trappist-1 is only fractionally larger than Jupiter in diameter. This image shows the star and six of the planets as they would appear from the vantage point of the fifth outermost planet, Trappist-1f. All of the planets and the Sun are to scale. One of the worlds is seen transiting in front of the star.$

Space

JWST finds the planet TRAPPIST-1b may not have an atmosphere

News

Two planets orbiting a red-dwarf star (illustration)

Space

Up to 74% of planets in the ‘habitable zone’ may not be good for life

News

Kepler-138 d (front), Kepler-138 c (left) and Kepler 138 b passing in front of its parent star

Space

Twin planets orbiting a distant star may be half water

News

What our attempts to communicate with alien civilisations say about us

Space

What our attempts to communicate with alien civilisations say about us

Features

Exoplanet

Space

JWST has spotted chemical reactions in an exoplanet's atmosphere

News

The hunt for habitable ocean worlds beyond our solar system

Space

The hunt for habitable ocean worlds beyond our solar system

Astronomers think that planets covered in water, with oceans hundreds of metres deep, could be relatively common in our galaxy. Now the race is on to find one

Features

Space

Two exoplanets have a strangely heavy element floating in their skies

News

Space

Earth's algae and moss could survive under the light of another star

News

Space

Two potentially habitable super-Earth planets have been discovered

News

Space

Weird, enormous planets may be stolen from stars in 'planetary heists'

News