Tag: exoplanets

A young Saturnian planet orbiting a star in the stellar cluster IC 2602 described in the study: “TOI-837 b: Characterisation, formation, and evolutionary history of an infant warm Saturn-mass planet” of M. Damasso (INAF – OATo)

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Analysis of TESS and HARPS observations confirms the existence of a Saturn-like planet orbiting a star associated with the young stellar cluster IC 2602   Stellar clusters are not only beautiful objects to photograph and observe through a telescope, but they also represent an important opportunity for studying stellar evolution. In fact, they are composed of rich samples of stars

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A system of super-Earth exoplanets orbiting around GJ 3998 described in the paper: “HADES RV Programme with HARPS-N at TNG XVI. A super-Earth in the habitable zone of the GJ 3998 multi-planet system” of A. K. Stefanov (IAC)

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At just 60 light-years away from us, the M-type star GJ 3998 hosts a system of three super-Earths, discovered and studied thanks to observations from the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo.   M-type stars are among the most important targets in the search for exoplanets, primarily for two reasons: they are the most numerous stars in our Galaxy, and the most commonly

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Two hot Jupiters with a water-rich atmosphere. The study: “The GAPS Programme at TNG LXVII. Detection of water and preliminary characterisation of the atmospheres of the two hot Jupiters KELT-8 b and KELT-23 Ab” of M. Basilicata (University of Tor Vergata) appeared su A&A)

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Observations carried out with the Telescopio Nazionale Galileo of two exoplanets belonging to the hot Jupiter class reveal an atmosphere rich in water, despite the high temperatures.   Water is an essential ingredient for life as we know it—not only because we drink it, but because it is an exceptional solvent for the chemical processes that underlie life on Earth.

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The relation between stellar metallicity and presence of giant planets in intermediate massive stars described in the study: “Intermediate-mass stars and the origin of the gas-giant planet-metallicity correlation” of J. Maldonado (INAF-OAPA)

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As of today (February 2025), out of the 5834 identified exoplanets, only about 5% orbit stars with masses between 1.5 and 3.5 solar masses (intermediate-mass stars). This is likely due to specific difficulties in exoplanet detection techniques, difficulties that are not encountered for lower-mass stars. For example, since they are more luminous than lower-mass stars, the transit depth (i.e., the

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A sub-neptunian “dynamically hot” orbiting around the star BD+00 444 confirmed with HARPS-N observations.

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An intriguing result, obtained thanks to the observational campaign carried out with NASA’s Kepler satellite, is that the most common transiting exoplanets are small planets with a radius smaller than 4 Earth radii and a short orbital period (less than 100 days). In particular, the most frequent planets belong to the sub-Neptune and super-Earth classes, two categories absent in the

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Two mini-Neptuns in orbital resonance around TOI-1803 discovered and described in the paper: “A joint effort to discover and characterize two resonant mini Neptunes around TOI-1803 with TESS, HARPS-N and CHEOPS” of T. Zingales (UniPd/INAF-OAPd))

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With over 2.600 exoplanets discovered, NASA’s Kepler satellite holds the record for the mission with the highest number of exoplanets found. The Kepler mission continued with the Kepler/K2 extension, redefined after technical failures prevented the telescope from maintaining its pointing. Among the many discoveries made possible by Kepler/K2 is evidence that one of the most common types of planets in

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From Jovian to mini-Neptunian. The evolution of TOI-1430 b described in the study: “The GAPS Programme at TNG. LXV. Precise density measurement of TOI-1430 b, a young planet with an evaporating atmosphere” of D. Nardiello (UniPD, INAF-OAPD)

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Young exoplanets, that is, those orbiting stars no older than a few hundred million years, are of significant scientific interest for studying planetary formation and the processes influencing the early evolution of planets. However, the intense magnetic activity of young stars generates signals that can obscure or mimic those linked to the presence of planets, making their detection and characterization

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Hydrogen, helium and sodium in the atmpshere of a Saturn-like exoplanet. The study: “The GAPS programme at TNG. LXIII. Photo-evaporating puzzle: Exploring the enigmatic nature of TOI-5398 b’s atmospheric signal” of M. d’Arpa (INAF-OAPA, UNIPA) appeared on A&A

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The characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres is one of the most active research fields in modern astrophysics, made possible by the development of dedicated instruments and techniques. The basic idea of this research is quite simple: obtaining spectroscopic observations of stars with planets during the transit of the planet in front of its star, which is the moment when part of

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Spots and faculae in V1298 Tau. The paper: “Spot Modeling through Multiband Photometry Analysis of V1298 Tau” of A. Biagini (INAF-OAPA/UNIPA) appeared on A&A

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Most stars behave like enormous dynamos, producing intense magnetic fields within them. These magnetic fields then interact with the plasma that constitutes the star’s interior and atmosphere, in a constant tug of war where the prevailing force dominates the dynamics. In the outer region of stars, from the photosphere to the corona, the pressure exerted by the gas is less

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New elements detected in the atmosphere of the hottest exoplanet known so far. The study: “The GAPS programme at TNG LX Atmospheric characterisation of KELT-9 b via single-line analysis: Detection of six H I Balmer lines, Na I, Ca I, Ca II, Fe I, Fe II, Mg I, Ti II, Sc II, and Cr II” of M. D’Arpa (INAF – OAPA/UNIPA) appeared on A&A

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One of the most interesting aspects of exoplanetary science is the possibility of studying worlds that are not present in our Solar System (at least, not today). Some of these exoplanets possess such extreme properties that they are of great scientific interest. This is certainly the case for the Ultra-Hot Jupiter KELT-9b. It is a gas giant with a mass

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