Exoplanets: Latest News About Alien Worlds

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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Kepler Space Telescope: The Original Exoplanet Hunter

December 07, 2018 | Reference

NASA's Kepler Space Telescope was revolutionary space telescope dedicated to finding planets outside our solar system.
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TRAPPIST-1 Planet May Be Wet and Life-Friendly

November 26, 2018 | Article

One of seven planets orbiting a small star, TRAPPIST-1, may be capable of supporting life as we know it on Earth, new climate models suggest.
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'Solar Gravity Lens' Could Bring Exoplanets into Sharp Focus

November 26, 2018 | Article

An innovative deep-space concept that relies on a solar gravity lens to enable enhanced viewing of exoplanets is under study by researchers at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and The Aerospace Corporation.
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Farewell, Kepler: NASA Shuts Down Prolific Planet-Hunting Space Telescope

November 16, 2018 | Article

NASA decommissioned the Kepler space telescope last night (Nov. 15), beaming "goodnight" commands to the sun-orbiting observatory.
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Icy 'Super-Earth' Exoplanet Spotted Around Nearby Barnard's Star

November 14, 2018 | Article

Astronomers have found compelling evidence of a frigid alien world about 3.2 times more massive than Earth circling Barnard's Star, a dim red dwarf that lies just 6 light-years from the sun.
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Barnard's Star b: What We Know About Nearby 'Super-Earth' Planet Candidate

November 14, 2018 | Countdown

There appears to be a cold "super-Earth" planet circling Barnard's Star, which lies just 6 light-years from the sun. Here's what you should know about the newfound planet candidate.
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Vega: The North Star of the Past and the Future

November 09, 2018 | Reference

Vega, historically one of the most-studied stars, is under scrutiny in modern times because it may have planets.
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Where Are All the Aliens? 'Out There' Book Excerpt

November 09, 2018 | Article

In 'Out There' (Grand Central Publishing, 2018), Space.com senior writer Mike Wall tackles the search for alien life from many different angles and discusses humanity's drive to get off its natal rock. Read an excerpt from the new book here.
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Dawn Is Dead: NASA's Pioneering Asteroid-Belt Mission Runs Out of Fuel

November 01, 2018 | Article

NASA's Dawn spacecraft — which orbited the two largest objects in the asteroid belt, Vesta and Ceres, during its long and accomplished life — has run out of fuel and died, agency officials announced today (Nov. 1).
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NASA's Planet-Hunting Kepler Space Telescope Is Done. What Will Happen to It?

October 31, 2018 | Article

For NASA's Kepler space telescope, the world will end in ice rather than fire.
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