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Spock's Home Planet Vulcan Found Orbiting 40 Eridani A

Vulcan

Among the TV series Star Trek's many charms are its rich universe of characters and planets.

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Exoplanets

Hit-and-Run Heist of Water by Terrestrial Planets in the Early Solar System

Planetary collisions

A study simulating the final stages of terrestrial planet formation shows that 'hit-and-run' encounters play a significant role in the acquisition of water by large protoplanets, like those that grew into Mars and Earth.

Exoplanets

First Science Image From TESS

NASA's newest planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), is now providing valuable data to help scientists discover and study exciting new exoplanets, or planets beyond our solar system.

Exoplanets

NASA Urged To Mount Large Direct Imaging Mission For Exoplanets

To answer significant questions about planetary systems, such as whether our solar system is a rare phenomenon or if life exists on planets other than Earth, NASA should lead a large direct imaging mission - an advanced space telescope.

Exoplanets

A New Stage In The Evolution of Young Solar Systems

Astronomers from the Department of Physics at the University of Tokyo discovered a dense disk of material around a young star, which may be a precursor to a planetary system.

Exoplanets

Astronomers Find A Famous Exoplanet's Doppelganger

When it comes to extrasolar planets, appearances can be deceiving. Astronomers have imaged a new planet, and it appears nearly identical to one of the best studied gas-giant planets.

Exoplanets

Planet Formation Starts Before Star Reaches Maturity

A European team of astronomers has discovered that dust particles around a star already coagulate before the star is fully grown.

Exoplanets

TESS Takes Test Image And Swings Past The Moon

NASA's next planet hunter, the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), is one step closer to searching for new worlds after successfully completing a lunar flyby on May 17.

Exoplanets

Astronomers Photograph Possible Young Planet by Chance

An international team of astronomers headed by Dutch researchers from Leiden University has coincidently found a small companion around the young double star CS Cha.

Exoplanets

Hubble Detects Helium In An Exoplanet Atmosphere For The First Time

Astronomers using the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope have detected helium in the atmosphere of the exoplanet WASP-107b.

Exoplanets

Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite Is On Its Way to Orbit

NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has launched on the first-of-its-kind mission to find worlds beyond our solar system, including some that could support life.

Exoplanets

SPHERE Reveals Fascinating Zoo of Discs Around Young Stars

The SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile allows astronomers to suppress the brilliant light of nearby stars in order to obtain a better view of the regions surrounding them.

Exoplanets

Hubble Finds Huge System of Dusty Material Enveloping the Young Star HR 4796A

Astronomers have used NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to uncover a vast, complex dust structure, about 150 billion miles across, enveloping the young star HR 4796A.

Exoplanets

Protoplanetary Disc AS 209 Forms Around A Young Star

Nestled in the young Ophiuchus star-forming region, 410 light-years from the Sun, a fascinating protoplanetary disc named AS 209 is slowly being carved into shape.

Exoplanets

TRAPPIST-1 Planets Are Probably Rich in Water

A new study has found that the seven planets orbiting the nearby ultra-cool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1 are all made mostly of rock, and some could potentially hold more water than Earth.

Exoplanets

A Hot Jupiter With Unusual Winds

The hottest point on a gaseous planet near a distant star isn't where astrophysicists expected it to be - a discovery that challenges scientists' understanding of the many planets of this type found in solar systems outside our own.