Dust ground off icy bodies in the Kuiper Belt, the cold-storage zone that includes Pluto and millions of other objects, creates a faint infrared disk potentially visible to alien astronomers looking for planets around the sun. Neptune's gravitational imprint on the dust is always detectable in new simulations of how this dust moves through the solar system. By ramping up the collision rate, the simulations show how the distant view of the solar system might have changed over its history. More here. ||

An international team of astronomers using data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has detected significant changes in the atmosphere of a planet located beyond our solar system. The scientists conclude the atmospheric variations occurred in response to a powerful eruption on the planet's host star, an event observed by NASA's Swift satellite.The exoplanet is HD 189733b, a gas giant similar to Jupiter, but about 14 percent larger and more massive. The planet circles its star at a distance of only 3 million miles, or about 30 times closer than Earth's distance from the sun, and completes an orbit every 2.2 days. Its star, named HD 189733A, is about 80 percent the size and mass of our sun.Astronomers classify the planet as a "hot Jupiter." Previous Hubble observations show that the planet's deep atmosphere reaches a temperature of about 1,900 degrees Fahrenheit (1,030 C).HD 189733b periodically passes across, or transits, its parent star, and these events give astronomers an opportunity to probe its atmosphere and environment. In a previous study, a group led by Lecavelier des Etangs used Hubble to show that hydrogen gas was escaping from the planet's upper atmosphere. The finding made HD 189733b only the second-known "evaporating" exoplanet at the time.The system is just 63 light-years away, so close that its star can be seen with binoculars near the famous Dumbbell Nebula. This makes HD 189733b an ideal target for studying the processes that drive atmospheric escape.When HD 189733b transits its star, some of the star's light passes through the planet's atmosphere. This interaction imprints information on the composition and motion of the planet's atmosphere into the star's light.In April 2010, the researchers observed a single transit using Hubble's Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS), but they detected no trace of the planet's atmosphere. Follow-up STIS observations in September 2011 showed a surprising reversal, with striking evidence that a plume of gas was streaming away from the exoplanet.The researchers determined that at least 1,000 tons of gas was leaving the planet's atmosphere every second. The hydrogen atoms were racing away at speeds greater than 300,000 mph. Because X-rays and extreme ultraviolet starlight heat the planet's atmosphere and likely drive its escape, the team also monitored the star with Swift's X-ray Telescope (XRT). On Sept. 7, 2011, just eight hours before Hubble was scheduled to observe the transit, Swift was monitoring the star when it unleashed a powerful flare. It brightened by 3.6 times in X-rays, a spike occurring atop emission levels that already were greater than the sun's. Astronomers estimate that HD 189733b encountered about 3 million times as many X-rays as Earth receives from a solar flare at the threshold of the X class. ||

A second look at data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is reanimating the claim that the nearby star Fomalhaut hosts a massive exoplanet. The study suggests that the planet, named Fomalhaut b, is a rare and possibly unique object that is completely shrouded by dust. Fomalhaut is the brightest star in the constellation Piscis Austrinus and lies 25 light-years away. In November 2008, Hubble astronomers announced the exoplanet, named Fomalhaut b, as the first one ever directly imaged in visible light around another star. The object was imaged just inside a vast ring of debris surrounding but offset from the host star. The planet's location and mass — about three times Jupiter's — seemed just right for its gravity to explain the ring's appearance. Recent studies have claimed that this planetary interpretation is incorrect. Based on the object's apparent motion and the lack of an infrared detection by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, they argue that the object is a short-lived dust cloud unrelated to any planet. A new analysis, however, brings the planet conclusion back to life.Watch this video on YouTube. ||

An international team of astronomers exploring the disk of gas and dust the bright star Beta Pictoris have uncovered a compact cloud of poisonous gas formed by ongoing rapid-fire collisions among a swarm of icy, comet-like bodies. The researchers suggest the comet swarm may be frozen debris trapped and concentrated by the gravity of an as-yet-unseen planet.Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, astronomers mapped millimeter-wavelength light from dust and carbon monoxide (CO) molecules in a disk surrounding the star. Located about 63 light-years away and only 20 million years old, Beta Pictoris hosts one of the closest, brightest and youngest debris disks known, making it an ideal laboratory for studying the early development of planetary systems. The ALMA images reveal a vast belt of carbon monoxide located at the fringes of the system. Much of the gas is concentrated in a single clump located about 8 billion miles (13 billion kilometers) from the star, or nearly three times the distance between the planet Neptune and the sun. The total amount of CO observed, the scientists say, exceeds 200 million billion tons, equivalent to about one-sixth the mass of Earth’s oceans.The presence of all this gas is a clue that something interesting is going on because ultraviolet starlight breaks up CO molecules in about 100 years, much faster than the main cloud can complete a single orbit around the star. Scientists calculate that a large comet must be completely destroyed every five minutes to offset the destruction of CO molecules. Only an unusually massive and compact swarm of comets could support such an astonishingly high collision rate.The researchers think these comet swarms formed when a as-yet-undetected planet migrated outward, sweeping icy bodies into resonant orbits. When the orbital periods of the comets matched the planet's in some simple ratio – say, two orbits for every three of the planet – the comets received a nudge from the planet at the same location each orbit. Like the regular push of a child's swing, these accelerations amplify over time and work to confine the comets in a small region. ||

With a view 100 times bigger than that of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, the Wide Field Infrared Survey Telescope WFIRST will aid researchers in their efforts to unravel the secrets of dark energy and dark matter, and explore the evolution of the cosmos. It also will discover new worlds outside our solar system and advance the search for worlds that could be suitable for life. Scientists participating in the mission discuss the spacecraft, the science, and its potential. Slated to launch in the mid-2020s, the observatory will operate at a gravitational balance point known as Earth-sun L2, which is located about 930,000 miles from Earth and directly opposite the sun.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || WfirstAfta-PrintStill2_print.jpg (1024x576) [79.3 KB] || WfirstAfta-PrintStill2.png (3840x2160) [4.7 MB] || WfirstAfta-PrintStill2_searchweb.png (320x180) [59.2 KB] || WfirstAfta-PrintStill2_thm.png (80x40) [4.6 KB] || 12153_WFIRST_Best_Both_Worlds_ProRes_1280x720_5994.mov (1280x720) [3.1 GB] || 12153_WFIRST_Best_Both_Worlds_H264_Best_1280x720_5994.mov (1280x720) [1.7 GB] || 12153_WFIRST_Best_Both_Worlds_FINAL_youtube_hq.mov (1280x720) [671.5 MB] || 12153_WFIRST_Best_Both_Worlds_H264_Good_1280x720_2997.mov (1280x720) [174.0 MB] || 12153_WFIRST_Best_Both_Worlds_FINAL_appletv.m4v (1280x720) [122.3 MB] || 12153_WFIRST_Best_Both_Worlds_H264_Good_1280x720_2997.webm (1280x720) [25.0 MB] || 12153_WFIRST_Best_Both_Worlds_FINAL_appletv_subtitles.m4v (1280x720) [122.4 MB] || 12153_WFIRST_BestBoth_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [4.6 KB] || 12153_WFIRST_BestBoth_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [4.4 KB] || NASA_PODCAST_12153_WFIRST_Best_Both_Worlds_FINAL_ipod_sm.mp4 (320x240) [41.6 MB] ||

A new statistical study of planets found by the gravitational microlensing technique suggests that Neptune-mass planets may be the most common worlds in the outer reaches of planetary systems. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: "Hurricanes Wrap My Heart" from Stockmusic.netWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || MOA_II_Still_print.jpg (1024x576) [117.4 KB] || MOA_II_Still.png (3356x1888) [8.3 MB] || 12425_Microlensing_Neptunes_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [3.3 GB] || 12425_Microlensing_Neptunes_FINAL_youtube_hq.mov (1920x1080) [821.9 MB] || 12425_Microlensing_Neptunes_H264_Good_1080.mov (1920x1080) [369.1 MB] || 12425_Microlensing_Neptunes_FINAL_HD.wmv (1920x1080) [167.7 MB] || 12425_Microlensing_Neptunes_H264_1080.m4v (1920x1080) [246.3 MB] || 12425_Microlensing_Neptunes_FINAL_appletv.m4v (1280x720) [124.2 MB] || 12425_Microlensing_Neptunes_Compatible_540.m4v (960x540) [94.7 MB] || 12425_Microlensing_Neptunes_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.webm (1920x1080) [24.6 MB] || 12425_Microlensing_Neptunes_FINAL_appletv_subtitles.m4v (1280x720) [124.4 MB] || Microlensing_Neptunes_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [4.5 KB] || Microlensing_Neptunes_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [4.5 KB] || 12425_Microlensing_Neptunes_FINAL_ipod_sm.mp4 (320x240) [42.6 MB] ||

SuperTIGER team members Brian Rauch, Jason Link and Nathan Walsh join NASA Blueshift's Sara Mitchell for a Skype conversation in November 2017 about the instrument's science, technology and upcoming launch from McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterComplete transcript available. || SuperTIGER_Skype_Still.png (1280x720) [1.2 MB] || SuperTIGER_Skype2.mp4 (1280x720) [608.6 MB] || SuperTIGER_Skype2_best.mp4 (1280x720) [1.2 GB] || SuperTIGER_Skype2.webm (1280x720) [135.1 MB] || SuperTIGER_Skype2_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [22.5 KB] || SuperTIGER_Skype2_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [22.5 KB] ||

For the longest time, space seemed like just a big, nearly empty place. However, as we learned more about the universe around us, we discovered other planets orbiting our Sun, and even planets that orbit other stars trillions of miles away. In this video, discover how NASA has explored the space beyond Earth and our solar system with spacecraft like Voyagers 1 and 2, and how we’ve discovered thousands of planets outside of our solar system — also called exoplanets — with space telescopes like Kepler and TESS.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: "Virtual Memory" from Killer TracksYouTube linkComplete transcript available.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || TESS_Voyager_final_full_version_still.jpg (1920x1080) [506.3 KB] || TESS_Voyager_final_full_version_still_print.jpg (1024x576) [223.7 KB] || TESS_Voyager_final_full_version_still_searchweb.png (320x180) [101.1 KB] || TESS_Voyager_final_full_version_still_thm.png (80x40) [7.3 KB] || TESS_Voyager_final_full_version_prores.mov (1920x1080) [2.2 GB] || TESS_Voyager_final_full_version_HQ.mp4 (1920x1080) [412.1 MB] || TESS_Voyager_final_full_version_LQ.mp4 (1920x1080) [211.8 MB] || TESS_Voyager_final_full_version_prores.webm (1920x1080) [22.6 MB] || TESS_Voyager_final_full_version.en_US.srt [3.9 KB] || TESS_Voyager_final_full_version.en_US.vtt [4.0 KB] ||

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has confirmed the tiniest planet in its catalog so far — one of three discovered around a bright, nearby star called L 98-59. As shown in the illustrations in this video, all could occupy the “Venus zone,” the range of distances from the star where a Venus-like atmosphere is possible. The outermost planet also has the potential for a Neptune-like atmosphere. Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: "Autumn Rush" from Killer TracksComplete transcript available.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. || tess_smallest_planet_preview.jpg (1920x1080) [288.5 KB] || tess_smallest_planet_preview_print.jpg (1024x576) [118.1 KB] || tess_smallest_planet_preview_searchweb.png (320x180) [53.2 KB] || tess_smallest_planet_preview_web.png (320x180) [53.2 KB] || tess_smallest_planet_preview_thm.png (80x40) [5.5 KB] || tess_smallest_planet_HQ.mp4 (1920x1080) [245.9 MB] || tess_smallest_planet_LQ.mp4 (1920x1080) [190.0 MB] || tess_smallest_planet_prores.mov (1920x1080) [1.3 GB] || tess_smallest_planet_HQ.webm (1920x1080) [14.8 MB] || tess_smallest_planet.en_US.srt [1.9 KB] || tess_smallest_planet.en_US.vtt [1.9 KB] ||

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) spent a year imaging the southern sky in its search for worlds beyond our solar system. Dive into a mosaic of these images to see what TESS has found so far. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterMusic: “Phenomenon" from Above and Below Written and produced by Lars LeonhardWatch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.Complete transcript available. || Southern_Sky_Still.jpg (1920x1080) [892.0 KB] || Southern_Sky_Still_print.jpg (1024x576) [222.5 KB] || Southern_Sky_Still_searchweb.png (320x180) [66.5 KB] || Southern_Sky_Still_thm.png (80x40) [5.0 KB] || 13285_TESS_SouthernSky_Small_720.webm (1280x720) [26.3 MB] || 13285_TESS_SouthernSky_Small_720.mp4 (1280x720) [250.7 MB] || 13285_TESS_SouthernSky_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [492.4 MB] || 13285_TESS_SouthernSky_SRT_Captions.en_US.srt [4.3 KB] || 13285_TESS_SouthernSky_SRT_Captions.en_US.vtt [4.3 KB] || 13285_TESS_SouthernSky_Best_1080.mp4 (1920x1080) [1.2 GB] || 13285_TESS_SouthernSky_ProRes_1920x1080_30.mov (1920x1080) [3.5 GB] || tesss-southern-sky-panorama-movie.hwshow || 07a_tess_coverage.hwshow [190 bytes] ||