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
James Webb telescope spots 'rogue' planet with a cake-like atmosphere barrelling through space without a star
The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted a 'rogue' cosmic object barrelling through our galaxy without a star, and covered in clouds of iron and magnesium minerals.
'Utterly cataclysmic': James Webb telescope spots 2 alien planets disintegrating before our eyes
In world-first observations, the James Webb Space Telescope is watching two distant alien planets "spilling their guts into space" as they rapidly disintegrate — and scientists are elated at what they've found.
Exoplanet with iron rain has violent winds 'like something out of science fiction'
"Even the strongest hurricanes in the solar system seem calm in comparison."
'Like a family photo of our solar system': The James Webb telescope is watching 2 alien planets being born before our eyes
Aimed at the nearby star PDS 70, the James Webb Space Telescope is watching newborn planets take shape before our eyes in uprecedented detail.
Newly discovered super-Earth orbits in and out of its star's habitable zone. Could life survive its extreme climate?
The climate on such a world must be beyond bizarre.
'Supersonic jetstream' with winds 130 times faster than a Category 5 hurricane spotted in the Milky Way
The record-breaking winds are circling the nearby "puffy" exoplanet WASP-127b, and are traveling six times faster than the alien world spins.
'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.
