Category Archives: Exoplanets and Aliens

Our continuing search for new life and (maybe) new civilizations

WASP-18 b and Other Wonderfully Weird WASP Worlds

When I started writing this, I’d planned on talking about WASP-18 b, a hot Jupiter: how we’ve found water in its atmosphere, and something odd about the planet’s temperature on the edge of its sunlit side. Down the Rabbit Hole: … Continue reading

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Super-Duper Super Earths and the Search for Life

This week, I’ll talk about Professor Ethan Siegel’s view that “the myth of the super-habitable super-Earth planet” is “a scientific catastrophe”, other non-catastrophes; and a problem with “super-Earths” as a label. Along the way I’ll look at science, news, headlines … Continue reading

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Exoplanets, Dust, and Who Sees Data First?

It’s been a little over 10 years since scientists spotted Kepler-22 b. It was the first time we’d spotted a transiting exoplanet that’s in its sun’s habitable zone. That may or may not mean that Kepler-22 b is habitable. The … Continue reading

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Two Nearby Habitable(?) Worlds; Elements for Life

We’ve found two new worlds, GJ 1002 b and c, that could be habitable. They’re the right size and most likely around the right temperature. Actually, make that three new worlds. Another one, Wolf 1069 b, showed up in my … Continue reading

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A Doomed World, Spiraling to Destruction

Kepler-1658 b, KOI-4.01, is a “hot Jupiter”. In another 2,500,000 years, give or take a bit, it won’t be there any more. That makes it a hot subject for scientists: literally and figuratively. Kepler-1658 b is also the the Kepler … Continue reading

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