Two terrestrial planets discovered in the habitable zone of the star GJ1002. The study: “Two temperate Earth-mass planets orbiting the nearby star GJ1002” of A. Suárez Mascareño (Istituto de Astrofisica de Canarias) appeaed on A&A

The search for terrestrial like exoplanets in the habitable zone of their stars is one of the most significant areas of exoplanetary science. The habitable zone is defined as the region around a given star where rocky planets are within the suitable temperature range to potentially support liquid water on their surfaces. Earth-like planets within habitable zones are therefore the

» Read more

Discovered the first planetary system with planets both in equatorial and polar orbits revealed by the study: “The Rossiter-McLaughlin effect revolutions: an ultra-short period planet and a warm mini-Neptune on perpendicular orbits” of V. Bourrier (Observatoire Astronomique de l’Université de Genève), appeared on A&A

The study of the architecture of planetary systems, and in particular that of the spin-orbit angle (which is the inclination of the planetary orbit with respect to the stellar rotation axis) can unveil important details on the dynamical evolution of planetary systems. In particular, young planets typically migrate radially, changing their distance to the host star and interacting with the

» Read more

A young and low-density planet for DS Tucanae A. The study: “Constraints on the mass and atmospheric composition and evolution of the low-density young planet DS Tuc A b” of S. Benatti (INAF – OAPa) recently appeared on A&A

The study of planets orbiting around young stars (younger than 100 million years) can help astronomers understanding the physical processes setting the early evolution of planetary systems. However, young stars are typically characterized by rapid rotation and intense magnetic activity, phenomena which produce photometric and spectroscopic signals that can mimic and confuse those due to the presence of planets. It

» Read more

Composition of a sub-neptunian exoplanet with TESS and ESPRESSO. The study: “A sub-Neptune and a non-transiting Neptune-mass companion unveiled by ESPRESSO around the bright late-F dwarf HD 5278 (TOI-130)” of A. Sozzetti (INAF-OATo) recently appeared on A&A

The NASA satellite Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) it’s one of the most effective telescopes to search for exoplanets. TESS is designed to find exoplanets with the transits method, e.g. by observing the periodic occultations of stars by their planets during their orbits. To date, about 27% of the exoplanets discovered with TESS belong to the class of the sub-neptunians. These planets have a

» Read more

Chemical composition and elevation of the atmosphere of WASP-121b. The study: “Atmospheric Rossiter-McLaughlin effect and transmission spectroscopy of WASP-121b with ESPRESSO” of F. Borsa (INAF-OA Brera) recently appeared on A&A)

Ultra-hot Jupiters are gaseous planets orbiting at close distances from their central stars, with rotation periods shorter than 3 days. Their atmospheres are thus heated, more than 2000 degrees, by the incident radiation emitted by the central star. For this reason, the atmospheres of ultra-hot Jupiters shows peculiar properties compared with planets of other types. For instance, they are affected

» Read more