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Latest News About Alien Planets
An alien planet orbits a star other than our sun, and is sometimes called an "exoplanet." Learn more about the types of alien planets, including exoplanets and extrasolar planets, and get the latest news.
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The Kepler 16 system is just 200 light-years away, in the constellation Cygnus (the Swan).
Learn how the "super-Earth" alien planet HD 85512 b could potentially support life in this SPACE.com infographic.
Astronomers found the planet Kepler-19c after noticing how its gravity tugged on a neighbor world.
Surprisingly, desert planets may be more habitable than wet worlds.
Ice planets sparkle, but a new planet made of diamond may well put them all to shame.
Scientists may have explained the weird orbits of many alien planets.
NASA's Kepler Space Telescope will look hard at the object to see if it has any companions.
A European space telescope has found 10 new alien planets, including two Neptune-like objects orbiting the same star.
What Happens If We Hear Something
SETI Institute experts address four key questions on the topic of intelligent life beyond Earth and how to systematically and scientifically look for it.
Alien solar systems appear to be common in our galaxy, but they're not like Earth's.
Free-floating Jupiter size planets are fairly common. Astronomers use a neat trick of Einstein’s math to find them. And, no, there aren’t any free-range monster-worlds lurking nearby.
The star Gliese 581 in the constellation Libra has a planet in its habitable zone. New research shows the Goldilocks planet could have liquid water on its surface, and an Earth-like atmosphere.
Astronomers have discovered a whole new class of alien planet: Jupiter-mass worlds that float through space unbound to any discernible host star.
A new survey has begun looking for intelligent extraterrestrial life on the most Earth-like alien planets discovered to date.
Astronomers have pinned down some details of an exotic nearby alien planet that's almost as dense as lead.
NASA's STEREO solar satellites ability to accurately monitor the brightness of variable stars is giving scientists an invaluable tool in discovering exoplanets and studying star inner structure; this video illustrates measurements from 4 stars.
Luke Skywalker's home planet of Tatooine is a vividly realized alien world, but it may be missing one key detail: black plants.
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