[ weird things ] | exoplanets
articles tagged: exoplanets
oddball earth: why our planet really is different
# space

oddball earth: why our planet really is different

Looking for worlds around other stars shows us just how weird and unusual our planet really is in the grand scheme of things.

in an ironic twist, ocean worlds could be hostile to life
# space

in an ironic twist, ocean worlds could be hostile to life

Water usually means life. But could too much water snuff out life before it has a chance to evolve?

it’s no teegarden party: the catch about the latest exoplanetary discovery
# space

it’s no teegarden party: the catch about the latest exoplanetary discovery

By now, you're probably used to hearing about potentially habitable worlds orbiting other stars. But that "potentially habitable" part may come with more caveats than you might think.

why we need to learn more about super-earths
# space

why we need to learn more about super-earths

Super-Earths are often thought of as just bigger version of our own planet on steroids. But these worlds offer us amazing insights into everything from plate tectonics to planetary formation and classification.

wonky star systems may be born that way
# space

wonky star systems may be born that way

A nearby baby star has been discovered with a warped protoplanetary disk — a feature that may reveal the true nature of the solar system’s planetary misalignments

why kepler-1625b, what a big moon you have…
# space

why kepler-1625b, what a big moon you have…

The first moon detected outside of our solar system may be a gas giant orbiting another gas giant and we’re not sure how that happened. Unless it didn’t start its life as a moon...

why the typical habitable planet may be nothing like our own
# space

why the typical habitable planet may be nothing like our own

We typically think of Earth as an ideal world for habitability, but what we've discovered so far hints at us being an oddball.

so what does alpha centauri’s planet mean for space exploration?
# space

so what does alpha centauri’s planet mean for space exploration?

Our nearest stellar neighbor has a planet. Where do we go from here?

just how habitable is gliese 163c?
# astrobiology

just how habitable is gliese 163c?

For all the excitement about this potentially habitable world, we still don't know much about it and its ability to host life.

why aliens might not need a stabilizing moon
# space

why aliens might not need a stabilizing moon

For decades, scientists thought that a habitable world needed a large moon to act like a rudder. That idea might not actually be true.

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