The young β Pictoris system has been monitored with high-resolution optical spectrographs for decades. These observations have revealed strongly variable absorption in the Ca II H\&K lines attributed to in-falling […]
exocomet
![Estimated total mass of transiting compact systems, Mtot, scaled to the stellar mass, M∗. a, (Mtot/M∗) for compact systems having ≥ 3 known planets that orbit a single star within a < 0.5 au (circle markers, blue box). Points are ordered left-to-right by ascending stellar mass. Data are from www.exoplanetarchive.ipac.caltech.edu. For cases without mass estimates, we use the observed planet radius, increase the estimated radius uncertainty by a factor of 2, and then apply a radius vs. mass relation [46]. Light [medium] blue circles are systems with all [some] planetary masses estimated from this relation, while dark blue circles are systems with measured planetary masses. We include only systems with resulting errors ∆Mtot/Mtot < 1. b, Distribution of compact system mass ratios. Over a wide range of stellar masses (M∗ ∼ 0.1 to 1.3 stellar mass), compact multi-planet systems display a common mass ratio, with 90% of systems having 3×10−5 < (Mtot/M∗) < 3×10−4 (gray shaded region). This mass ratio is more similar to that of the gas giant satellite systems (square markers, yellow box) than to the inner or outer planets in our Solar System (triangle markers, red box). -- astro-ph.EP](https://i0.wp.com/astrobiology.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Origin-of-compact-exoplanetary.png?resize=1200%2C718&ssl=1)
Posted inAstrogeology, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Impact events, Status Report
Origin Of Compact Exoplanetary Systems During Disk Infall
Exoplanetary systems that contain multiple planets on short-period orbits appear to be prevalent in the current observed exoplanetary population, yet the processes that give rise to such configurations remain poorly […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Upper Limits On CN From Exocomets Transiting Beta Pictoris
The young (23 Myr) nearby (19.4 pc) star β Pictoris hosts an edge-on debris disk with two gas giant exoplanets in orbit around it. Many transient absorption features have been […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Abundances Of Refractory Ions In Beta Pictoris Exocomets
Beta Pic is a young, A5V star, known for harbouring a large number of exocomets, which frequently transit the star and produce absorption signatures.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Brown Dwarfs, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Interstellar, Status Report
HD 163296 And Its Giant Planets: Creation Of Exo-comets, Interstellar Objects And Transport Of Volatile Material
The birth of giant planets in protoplanetary disks is known to alter the structure and evolution of the disk environment, but most of our knowledge focuses on its effects on […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Icy Worlds, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release
A Large Number Of Exocomets Have Been Discovered
CfA astronomers and its Submillimeter Array were critical for identifying a cache of belts where comets may reside outside our Solar System.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Exocomet Orbital Distribution Around Beta Pictoris
The 23 Myr young star β Pictoris is a laboratory for planet formation studies given its observed debris disk, its two directly imaged super-Jovian planets, and the evidence of transiting […]
Posted inAI - Data - Apps - Cybernetics, Astronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Numerical Simulations of Exocomet Transits: Insights From BetaPic and KIC 3542116
In recent years, the topic of existence and exploration of exocomets has been gaining increasing attention. The asymmetrical decrease in the stellar brightness due to the passage of a comet-like […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Beta Pictoris, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The β Pictoris b Hill Sphere Transit Campaign. Paper II: Searching for the Signatures of the β Pictoris Exoplanets Through Time Delay Analysis of the δ Scuti Pulsations
The β Pictoris system is the closest known stellar system with directly detected gas giant planets, an edge-on circumstellar disc, and evidence of falling sublimating bodies and transiting exocomets. The […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Comets and Asteroids, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Exocomet Models in Transit: Light Curve Morphology in the Optical — Near Infrared Wavelength Range
Following the widespread practice of exoplanetary transit simulations, various presumed components of an extrasolar system can be examined in numerically simulated transits, including exomoons, rings around planets, and the deformation […]