This year saw planetary scientists add a number of exciting new worlds to our growing 5,000+ catalog of exoplanets. Among them are planets like we have never seen before. Here is a look back at some of the standout exoplanet discoveries of 2023. 1. JWST Identifies Heavy Elements in Distant Gas Giant’s Atmosphere The James Webb Space Telescope found that exoplanet Smertrios has an atmosphere that defies expectations. (Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech) Earlier in the year, observations made with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) confirmed the presence of heavy elements…
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Construction on NASA Mission to Map 450 Million Galaxies Is Under Way
6 min read Construction on NASA Mission to Map 450 Million Galaxies Is Under Way Sara Susca, deputy payload manager and payload systems engineer for NASA’s SPHEREx mission, looks up at one of the spacecraft’s photon shields. These concentric cones protect the telescope from light and heat from the Sun and the Earth, which can overwhelm the telescope’s detectors. NASA/JPL-Caltech SHPEREx Photon Shield Fabrication at Applied Aerospace Structures Corp. in Stockton CA Requester: Kaitlyn Soares Photographer: Gregory M. Waigand Date: 2023-07-12 Photolab order: 107469-11.02.03 AACS Key elements are coming together…
Read MoreNASA’s Roman Mission Gears Up for a Torrent of Future Data
NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope team is exploring ways to support community efforts that will prepare for the deluge of data the mission will return. Recently selected infrastructure teams will serve a vital role in the preliminary work by creating simulations, scouting the skies with other telescopes, calibrating Roman’s components, and much more. Their work will complement additional efforts by other teams and individuals around the world, who will join forces to maximize Roman’s scientific potential. The goal is to ensure that, when the mission launches by May 2027,…
Read MoreDiscovery Alert: The Planet that Shouldn’t Be There
3 min read Discovery Alert: The Planet that Shouldn’t Be There Artist’s rendering of planet 8 Ursae Minoris b – also known as “Halla” – amid the field of debris after a violent merger of two stars. The planet might have survived the merger, but also might be an entirely new planet formed from the debris. W. M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko By Pat Brennan NASA’s Exoplanet Exploration Program The discovery: A large planet is somehow orbiting a star that should have destroyed it. Key facts: Planet 8 Ursae Minoris b orbits a…
Read MoreWhen Planets Collect Comets
What kind of planets are likely to ensnare comets coming in from the icy outer reaches of a planetary system? The post When Planets Collect Comets appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreWhat We See in the First Science Images from the James Webb Space Telescope
The James Webb Space Telescope released its first science images today. Here’s what these images show us. The post What We See in the First Science Images from the James Webb Space Telescope appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreWhat Will the James Webb Space Telescope Reveal?
The James Webb Space Telescope’s first year of observations promises to reveal exoplanet atmospheres and surfaces, infant galaxies, and maybe even the first black holes. The post What Will the James Webb Space Telescope Reveal? appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreCitizen Scientists Detect Dusty Disks
Disk Detective, a citizen science project dedicated identifying planet-forming disks around young stars, reports their latest results. The post Citizen Scientists Detect Dusty Disks appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreA Strange White Dwarf with a Chaotic Past
New observations show that both rocky and icy worlds fell onto a white dwarf, indicating past orbital chaos in the system. The post A Strange White Dwarf with a Chaotic Past appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
Read MoreHow to Image an Exoplanet with Just a Few Pixels
Using Earth as an example, astronomers are testing a new technique that could image rocky exoplanets without resolving them. The post How to Image an Exoplanet with Just a Few Pixels appeared first on Sky & Telescope.
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