Latest astronomy news

Observations of the protoplanetary disc surrounding the star HD 139614 reveal complex light patterns caused by an inclined planet. By analyzing scattered-light images, researchers identified shifting brightness in the inner ring and a distinct spiral structure. A physical model suggests that a tilted planet forces inner parts of the disc to warp and precess, casting long-lasting shadows across the outer regions....

Magnetic fields play a vital role in shaping the atmospheres of planets, yet measuring them around close-in worlds remains difficult. A recent analysis of the ultra-hot Jupiter KELT-9 b sought to detect a magnetic field using the Zeeman effect in atomic lines. While a marginal signal was observed in 2025, subsequent observations failed to replicate the result, leaving the presence of the field unconfirmed....

A large-scale analysis of TESS mission data has confirmed 29 new hot and warm Jupiter-sized planets orbiting bright stars. By using space-based transits and ground-based observations, the study provides a consistent dataset of these massive worlds, revealing new details about their orbits, masses, and stellar environments, including the identification of three new bound stellar companions in these systems....

Researchers have identified 29 potential outer giant planets orbiting within existing exoplanetary systems by analyzing stellar motion data. By utilizing measurements from the Hipparcos and Gaia space missions, the team detected the subtle gravitational tugs these distant companions exert on their host stars, providing new targets for future observations to understand how these planets shape their systems....

Modern planetary science relies heavily on advanced simulations to interpret the light signatures collected by observatories like the James Webb Space Telescope. These simulations often use a method called amortized simulation-based inference, which is designed to identify the atmospheric conditions of distant worlds. However, this process has faced significant challenges when applied to real data, often producing results that do not align with p...

The planetary system orbiting the star HD 65216 contains at least two giant planets moving on elongated, eccentric orbits. By combining radial velocity data, which measures the subtle wobbling motion of a star caused by the gravitational tug of orbiting planets, with astrometric measurements, which track the star's precise movement across the sky, researchers have updated the physical characteristics and orbital paths of these massive worlds....

The TOI-1408 system is known to host two planets in a 2:1 orbital resonance - meaning the inner planet completes two orbits for every one orbit of the outer planet - alongside a distant companion. A recent study of TESS space telescope data and ground-based observations has reassessed the system's configuration, finding that current measurements of the planets are influenced by complex factors in the data modeling. Researchers found that the l...

The Kepler-51 system contains planets with extremely low bulk densities, often described as super-puff planets. These worlds are so light for their size that they challenge current models of how planets are built. One theory suggests these planets may actually have hidden ring systems that make them appear larger than they are, thereby causing researchers to underestimate their true density. This study uses a method called asterodensity profiling...

Epsilon Indi Ab is a temperate super-Jupiter orbiting the star Epsilon Indi A. As one of the closest and coldest directly imaged exoplanets, it serves as a bridge for comparing the atmospheric properties of hot gas giants found around other stars with the cooler giants of our own solar system. Infrared observations have now successfully mapped the chemical makeup of its atmosphere despite the challenging light interference from its host star. ...