M dwarfs have become increasingly important in the detection of exoplanets and the study of Earth-sized planets and their habitability. However, 20-30% of M dwarfs have companions that can impact […]
binary
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report, Stellar Cartography
Revising Properties of Planet-Host Binary Systems. IV. The Radius Distribution of Small Planets in Binary Star Systems is Dependent on Stellar Separation
Small planets (Rp≤4R⊕) are divided into rocky super-Earths and gaseous sub-Neptunes separated by a radius gap, but the mechanisms that produce these distinct planet populations remain unclear.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones
Colliding Winds in Low-Mass Binary Star Systems: Implications for Habitable Planets
In binary star systems, the winds from the two components impact each other, leading to strong shocks and regions of enhanced density and temperature. Potentially habitable circumbinary planets must continually […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Newly Spotted Frozen World Orbits in a Binary Star System
A newly discovered planet in a binary star system located 3,000 light-years from Earth is expanding astronomers’ notions of where Earth-like–and even potentially habitable–planets can form, and how to find […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets
Planet Packing in Circumbinary Systems
The recent discovery of planets orbiting main sequence binaries will provide crucial constraints for theories of binary and planet formation. The formation pathway for these planets is complicated by uncertainties […]