There are estimated to be trillions and trillions of planets orbiting the stars beyond our solar system. These alien worlds are called exoplanets, and Live Science is as curious as you are about what might be on them.
That's why our expert writers and editors track interstellar research, whether it's the discovery of a new class of exoplanet, a mirror-like exoplanet that "shouldn't exist," or the possibility of the first exoplanet outside the Milky Way. So whether it’s extreme exoplanets or just memorable facts, get the latest exoplanet news, features and articles here.
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Latest about Exoplanets
'Mathematically perfect' star system discovered 105 light-years from Earth may still be in its infancy. Could that change its prospects for life?
Once thought to be 8 billion years old, the star HD 110067 — famous for its six synchronized exoplanets — may be only 2.5 billion years old, new research suggests.
Surprise discovery in alien planet's atmosphere could upend decades of planet formation theory
The odd atmosphere of a fledgling exoplanet is causing astronomers to question leading theories of how planets form.
Nearby exoplanet has grown a tail 44 times longer than Earth — and it's acting like a giant 'stellar windsock'
Researchers have detected a giant tail of gas leaking from an exoplanet near Earth. The giant structure, which is up to 350,000 miles long, is being blown away from the alien world by stellar gusts, allowing researchers to use it like a windsock.
'Baby' exoplanet, equivalent to 2-week-old infant, is the youngest alien world ever spotted — and it's orbiting a wonky star
A new study has identified an exoplanet that is just 3 million years old — around 1,500 times younger than Earth — alongside a misaligned protoplanetary disk that researchers cannot explain.
'Unique and extreme': James Webb telescope detects possible alien world bubbling over with volcanoes
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have detected possible signs of gases released by volcanic activity on a distant exoplanet.
NASA finds signs of hellish, lava-covered 'exomoon' circling an alien world — and it could meet a 'destructive end'
A new analysis of a peculiar metallic cloud surrounding the exoplanet WASP-49 b provides further evidence that it may have been birthed by a volcanic satellite, which may become the first officially recognized "exomoon."
NASA's exoplanet hunter TESS spots a record-breaking 3-star system
Using NASA's exoplanet-hunting spacecraft, TESS, astronomers and citizen scientists have discovered a record-breaking system of three tightly bound stars that could fit between the sun and Mercury.
32 alien planets that really exist
Beyond our solar system, countless alien worlds of lava, ice, water and noxious gas swirl through the cosmos. Here are some of the strangest exoplanets that scientists have discovered so far.
