The XUV emission of the star HIP67522 and the evolution of its exoplanet. The study: “XUV irradiation of young planetary atmospheres. Results from a joint XMM-Newton and HST observation of HIP67522” of A. Maggio (INAF-OAPA) appeared on A&A

Despite the wide array of telescopes and satellites available to the astronomical community, there is a type of radiation to which we are virtually blind: the extreme UV band. This is high-energy radiation with a wavelength that ranges from the Lyman-α emission, caused by hydrogen atoms whose electron transitions from the innermost orbital (the ground state) to the second (n=2),

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Sub-neptunian planets and photoevaporation for BD+40 2790. The study: “The GAPS Programme at TNG. LIX: A characterisation study of the ∼300 Myr old multi-planetary system orbiting the star BD+40 2790 (TOI-2076)” of M. Damasso (INAF – OATo) appeared on A&A

The study of exoplanetary systems of stars with an age of a few hundred million years can teach us a great deal about the early and crucial evolutionary phases of planetary systems. Processes such as planetary migration, which causes planets to modify their distance from the central star, the circularization of orbits, and planetary photoevaporation play a fundamental role in

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Ammonia and water in the atmosphere of the warm Neptune HAT-P-11 b. The study described in the paper: “The GAPS Programme at TNG LV. Multiple molecular species in the atmosphere of HAT-P-11 b and review of the HAT-P-11 planetary system” of M. Basilicata (Università di Tor Vergata)

One of the most interesting possibilities offered by the research on exoplanets is the ability to study types of planets that are not present in the Solar System. Among these are the “hot” and “warm” Neptunes. These are planets the size of Neptune that orbit very close to their stars (with an orbital period shorter than 10 days), with an

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Four planets (at least) for two stars. The study: “The GAPS Programme at TNG. LIII. New insights on the peculiar XO-2 system” of A. Ruggieri (Università di Padova) appeared on A&A

Every sci-fi enthusiast, especially Star Wars fans, has wondered whether planets orbiting two stars, like Tatooine, can exist in reality. This is actually an important question in astronomy: It has been estimated that in the Milky Way, one-third of low-mass stars are in binary systems. Therefore, to fully understand the population of planets in our Galaxy, it is necessary to

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TOI-4515 b, a “warm Jupiter” with a turbulent story. The study: “The GAPS programme at TNG L. TOI-4515 b: An eccentric warm Jupiter orbiting a 1.2 Gyr-old G-star” of I. Carleo (Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias) recently appeared on A&A

The study of the orbital parameters of exoplanets can shed light on their past. An important quantity in this context is the eccentricity of elliptical orbits, which is the ratio between the distance of the foci over the major semiaxis. Eccentricity is equal to zero when the ellipse degenerates into a circle or equal to one when it degenerates into

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Synthesis of spectra of exoplanetary atmospheres externally irradiated by X/UV radiation. The study: “Signatures of X-ray dominated chemistry in the spectra of exoplanetary atmospheres” of D. Locci (INAF – OAPA) appeared on PSJ

One of the lessons we have learned after two decades of exoplanetary science, primarily from the diversity of exoplanets discovered to date, is that various properties of exoplanets depend on the characteristics and evolution of their parent stars. Specifically, stellar X-ray and UV radiation can impact the chemical and physical properties of planetary atmospheres. While UV radiation is primarily absorbed

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Developed a metjod aimed at characterizing spots in active stars. The paper: “The GAPS programme at TNG LII. Spot modeling of V1298 Tau using SpotCCF tool” of C. di Mario (INAF – OAPA) recently appeared on A&A

The Sun regularly exhibits magnetic phenomena, including sunspots and solar flares, which are not only visually appealing but also crucial for in-depth study and understanding. This is because these phenomena arise from large-scale interactions between the solar magnetic field and its plasma. Moreover, they provide valuable insights into the structure of the Sun and its atmosphere.   Almost all other

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A planet with elusive properties for V1298 Tau. The paper: “Photometric follow-up of the 20 Myr old multi-planet host star V1298 Tau with CHEOPS and ground-based telescopes” of M. Damasso (INAF-OATo) appeared on A&A

Among the stars known to host more than one planet, V1298 Tau deserves particular attention. This star, located approximately 360 light years away from us, is around 20 million years old and possesses a planetary system with four exoplanets discovered so far. Due to these characteristics, V1298 Tau can offer valuable insights into the planetary formation process and the early

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Formation and evolution of the complex planetary system of V1298 Tau, described in the study: “The GAPS programme at TNG. XLVIII. The unusual formation history of V1298 Tau” of D. Turrini (INAF – OATo)

The study of the exoplanets orbiting around young stars (e.g., younger than a few tens of million of years) offer the important opportunity for studying the early evoalutionary phases of those processes that shape the architecture of planetary systems. However, it is quite difficult to detect and study exoplanets around young stars, because of their low number, the complexity of their

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A rich and complex planetary system for the star TOI-4010. The paper: “TOI-4010: A System of Three Large Short-period Planets with a Massive Long-period Companion” of M. Kunimoto (MIT) appeared on AJ)

To date (November 2023), we have confirmed the presence of 5539 exoplanets in 4128 planetary systems. These numbers indicate that, in the majority of cases, we have identified one planet per planetary system. This limitation is primarily due to observational constraints, as it remains challenging to detect small exoplanets with long orbital periods (distant from their stars several astronomical units,

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