Latest Monoceros constellation Stories

U.S. scientists say they have used simulations to determine the atmosphere of an exoplanet discovered in February is hot enough to rain pebbles. Researchers at Washington University in St. Louis say their models show the exoplanet is close enough to its star that its day-face maintains a temperature of about 4,220 degrees Fahrenheit -- hot enough to vaporize rocks. The theoretical models suggest the planet has an atmosphere of the components of rock in gaseous form and lava or boiling oceans...

Mass and density of smallest exoplanet finally measuredThe longest set of HARPS measurements ever made has firmly established the nature of the smallest and fastest-orbiting exoplanet known, CoRoT-7b, revealing its mass as five times that of Earth's. Combined with CoRoT-7b's known radius, which is less than twice that of our terrestrial home, this tells us that the exoplanet's density is quite similar to the Earth's, suggesting a solid, rocky world. The extensive dataset also reveals the...

Astronomers recently observed a mysterious flux of particles in the universe, and the hope was born that this may be the first observation of the remnants of "dark matter". But scientists from the University of Gothenburg have shown that there is another explanation of the flux.Several independent studies recently discovered a mysterious flux of electrons and positrons in the universe. Several theories were presented that suggested that these particles arise from the decay of...

An international team of scientists has found that giant exoplanets orbiting very close to their stars could lose a quarter of their mass during their lifetime.  The team found that planets that orbit closer than 2% of an Astronomical Unit (AU), the distance between the Earth and the Sun, may lose their atmospheres completely, leaving just their core.  The team, led by Dr Helmut Lammer of the Space Research Institute of the Austrian Academy of Sciences, believe that the recently...

The European Space Agency says the COROT space telescope has found the smallest terrestrial planet ever detected outside the solar system. The ESA said the newly discovered exoplanet is less than twice the size of Earth and orbits a sun-like star. Its temperature is so high -- approximately 2,000 degrees or more Fahrenheit -- it is possibly covered in lava or water vapor. This discovery is a very important step on the road to understanding the formation and evolution of our planet, said...

The CoRoT satellite has discovered a planet only twice as large as the Earth orbiting a star slightly smaller than the Sun. It is the smallest extrasolar planet (planet outside our solar system) whose radius has ever been measured. The planet's composition is not yet certain, but it is probably made predominantly of rock and water. It orbits its host star in 20 hours, which is the shortest orbital period of all exoplanets found so far. Astronomers infer its temperature must be so high (over...

The festive season has arrived for astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) in the form of this dramatic new image. It shows the swirling gas around the region known as NGC 2264 "” an area of sky that includes the sparkling blue baubles of the Christmas Tree star cluster. NGC 2264 lies about 2600 light-years from Earth in the obscure constellation of Monoceros, the Unicorn, not far from the more familiar figure of Orion, the Hunter. The image shows a region of space about 30...

COROT has discovered a massive planet-sized object orbiting its parent star closely, unlike anything ever spotted before. It is so exotic, that scientists are unsure as to whether this oddity is actually a planet or a failed star.The object, named COROT-exo-3b, is about the size of Jupiter, but packs more than 20 times the mass. It takes only 4 days and 6 hours to orbit its parent star, which is slightly larger than the Sun.COROT-exo-3b was found as the satellite observed the drop in the...

A team of European scientists working with COROT have discovered an exoplanet orbiting a star slightly more massive than the Sun. After just 555 days in orbit, the mission has now observed more than 50,000 stars and is adding significantly to our knowledge of the fundamental workings of stars.The latest discovery, COROT-exo-4b is an exoplanet of about the same size as Jupiter. It takes 9.2 days to orbit its star, the longest period for any transiting exoplanet ever found.The team has found...

Two new exoplanets and an unknown celestial object are the latest findings of the COROT mission. These discoveries mean that the mission has now found a total of four new exoplanets. These results were presented this week at the IAU symposium 253 in Massachusetts, USA. COROT has now been operating for 510 days, and the mission started observations of its sixth star field at the beginning of May this year. During this observation phase, which will last 5 months, the spacecraft will...