Giant ‘super-puff’ planets are lighter than candy floss
This illustration depicts the Sun-like star TOI-791 and two giant planets that NASA’s TESS space telescope discovered in its orbit. These planets, designated TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, are roughly the size of Jupiter but a tiny fraction of its mass, meaning they...
Daily variability of an ultra-hot exoplanet
Artist’s impression of the exoplanet WASP-121 b. It belongs to the class of hot Jupiters. Due to its proximity to the central star, the planet’s rotation is tidally locked to its orbit around it. As a result, one of WASP-121 b’s hemispheres always...
‘Strongest hints’ of magnetic activity in exoplanets
This illustration shows magnetic activity in an exoplanet. The planet is a gas giant like Jupiter, but it’s very close to its host star and tidally locked: one side always faces the star and is scorching hot, whereas the other side is extremely cold. This steep...