We report the discovery and characterisation of the multi-planetary system around TOI-4311, a K dwarf kinematically between the Galactic thick disk and Hercules stream. TOI-4311 hosts an ultra-short-period super-Earth (P∼0.99 […]
sub-Neptune
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
The First Remotely Detected Biosignature May Not Be the Most Common: Implications for JWST and HWO
The first detected member of a new astronomical class is often not representative of the underlying population, but instead reflects the selection effects of the observing technique that found it.
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Status Report
Coupling Magma-ocean And Atmospheres In Spectral Retrievals Of Sub-Neptunes
Recent high-precision atmospheric observations with JWST is enabling detailed characterization of sub-Neptune atmospheres and motivating efforts to understand and constrain their interiors.
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report
The Influences of Hydrogen-Silicate-Iron Miscibility on the Demographics of Sub-Neptunes and Super-Earths
Models based on variable miscibility among hydrogen, molten silicate, and molten iron, coupled with atmospheric escape, can reproduce the observed occurrence density structure of sub-Neptunes and super-Earths in mass-radius space.
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
New Findings About Exoplanets Challenge Theories Of Planet Formation
Astronomers estimate there is at least one planet for every star in our galaxy. Called exoplanets, they orbit stars outside our solar system. But new research from McMaster University reveals […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astrogeology, Desert Worlds, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Ice Giant, Icy Worlds, Status Report, Water/Hycean Worlds & Oceanography
ORCHARD: A General Planetary Evolution Code
We present ORCHARD, a publicly available planetary evolution code based on the gas giant evolution code, APPLE, capable of modeling the evolution and structures of terrestrial, super-Earth, sub-Neptune, Neptune, and […]
Posted inAstronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
The Most Common Planets In The Galaxy Don’t Appear Around The Most Common Stars
Astronomers now estimate there is at least one planet for every star in our galaxy. These worlds, called exoplanets, are planets that orbit stars outside our solar system. But new […]
Posted inExoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Press Release, Stellar Cartography
Beyond The Mass-radius Plane: Integrated Radiative-convective And Interior Structure Simulations Of The Exoplanet Continuum
Static structure models, which map mass-radius constraints to bulk planet composition, are frequently used to categorise exoplanets due to their computational efficiency and the high-level insight they offer into planetary […]
Posted inAstrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Habitable Zones, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Lava / magma ocean / Volcanic Worlds, Press Release
A Gem System With A Lava World And A Habitable Zone Sub-Neptune Orbiting TOI-1752
The Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) has delivered a large number of transiting planet candidates around nearby stars by identifying periodic decreases in stellar brightness. A top-down view of the […]
Posted inAstrochemistry, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report
Cloudy With A Chance Of Metals: Indications Of CO2 In The Atmosphere Of GJ 1214 b From High-resolution K-band Spectroscopy
Sub-Neptune exoplanets frequently exhibit muted transmission spectra, with GJ 1214 b being the most prominent example. Following years of intense observing campaigns yielding featureless planetary spectra, recent observations with JWST […]