Context: The dusty debris disk around the ~20 Myr old main-sequence A-star beta Pic is known to contain gas. Evidence points towards a secondary origin of the gas as opposed […]
Astronomy & Telescopes
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Detectability of Free Floating Planets in Open Clusters with JWST
Recent observations have shown the presence of extra-solar planets in Galactic open stellar clusters, as in the Praesepe (M44). These systems provide a favorable environment for planetary formation due to […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Microlensing Discovers Extrasolar Planet in Habitable Zone
We used Keck adaptive optics observations to identify the first planet discovered by microlensing to lie in or near the habitable zone. The planet is at projected separation $r_\perp=1.1\pm 0.1\,$AU […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biosignatures & Paleobiology
Detecting Biomarkers on Faraway Planets
On Earth, life leaves telltale signals in the atmosphere. Photosynthesis is ultimately responsible for the high oxygen levels and the thick ozone layer. Microbes emit methane and nitrous oxide into […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Exoplanet Adaptive Optics for the 5-meter Hale Telescope
We describe and report first results from PALM-3000, the second-generation astronomical adaptive optics facility for the 5.1-m Hale telescope at Palomar Observatory. PALM-3000 has been engineered for high-contrast imaging and […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gaia Mission
Astrometric Detection of Exoplanets from the Ground
Astrometry is a powerful technique to study the populations of extrasolar planets around nearby stars. It gives access to a unique parameter space and is therefore required for obtaining a […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
Warm Ice Giant GJ 3470b – a Hazy, Low-methane, and/or Metal-rich Atmosphere?
We report our spectroscopic investigation of the transiting ice giant GJ 3470b’s atmospheric transmission, and the first results of extrasolar planet observations from the new Keck/MOSFIRE spectrograph. We measure a […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
The Blue Sky of GJ3470b
GJ3470b is a rare example of a “hot Uranus” transiting exoplanet orbiting a nearby M1.5 dwarf. It is of crucial interest for atmospheric studies because it is one of the […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets
A Fluffy Disk Around a Baby Star
The Subaru Telescope’s High Contrast Instrument for the Subaru Next Generation Adaptive Optics (HiCIAO) has been used to observe a disk around the young star RY Tau. An international team […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Fomalhaut
Astronomers Gear Up to Discover Earth-like Planets
As part of an international team of exoplanets hunters, astronomers at the University of Arizona are developing a technique to detect faint dust clouds around other stars, many of which […]