Asteroid Apophis’ close approach is just 3 years away

Asteroid Apophis was briefly considered the most dangerous known asteroid. Now we know it won’t hit Earth in 2029, but its close flyby on April 13, 2029, will be one of the most remarkable astronomical events in recorded history. Those on the night side of Earth will be able to watch it streak past with the eye alone! If you’ve heard the scare stories about Apophis, let this conversation with planetary astronomer Richard Binzel separate myth from reality. Watch on July 8 at noon CDT (17:00 UTC) here or on YouTube.

Support science … support wonder. Donate to EarthSky and be part of something big.

When to look for asteroid Apophis

Three years from tomorrow – on Friday, April 13, 2029 – a relatively large and extremely infamous asteroid named 99942 Apophis will zoom past Earth. It’ll be bright enough to see without optical aid. Many astronomers will study it. But Apophis will not strike us in 2029. For a time, initial observations suggested that if Apophis passed through a region of space only half a mile wide (about 800 meters) – dubbed a “keyhole” by astronomers – at the 2029 pass, then it might strike us exactly seven years later, on April 13, 2036. But, by 2006, that idea was disproven.

Apophis is exciting! But it’s not frightening. Here’s the updated story on this amazing asteroid.

And you pronounce Apophis as uh-pah’-fs.

Orbit of asteroid Apophis (pink) in contrast to the orbit of Earth (blue), from the years 2028 to 2030. The yellow dot represents the sun. Apophis takes 323.6 days to orbit the sun. Earth takes 365.3 days. Thus this asteroid is a fairly frequent visitor to our region of space. Image via Phoenix7777/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Location, location, location

Apophis is a space rock about 1,100 feet (340 meters) across. Calculations in recent years have proven the asteroid will safely glide past Earth in both 2029 and 2036. In 2029, Apophis should pass at a nominal distance of 19,662 miles (31,643 km) from the Earth’s surface. That’s in contrast to the moon’s average distance of about 238,000 miles (384,000 km). And it’s closer than many Earth-orbiting satellites. As the asteroid encounters Earth’s gravitational field in 2029, one result could be asteroid-quakes on Apophis. This passage will also change the orbit of Apophis slightly.

Not everyone will be able to see Apophis in 2029. If you are in Australia, southern Asia, southern Europe, or Africa, you will have a front-row seat to see this asteroid when it is at its brightest. As the asteroid moves farther from the Earth and dims, it becomes visible in eastern South America. As evening falls along the east coast of North America, the asteroid will be a telescopic object located in a part of the sky about 15 degrees north of the Pleiades. An ephemeris for the asteroid is here.

Discovery of Apophis

Astronomers at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tuscon, Arizona, discovered Apophis on the evening of June 19, 2004. The team of Dave Tholen, Fabrizio Bernardi, and the late Roy Tucker were searching for asteroids low in the western sky. They were specifically looking for objects in the direction of the sun. The asteroid they found was originally designated 2004 MN4. It was 57 degrees from the sun, unusually close for an asteroid.

But astronomers quickly recognized this asteroid was different from most. It orbits the sun in less than one Earth year (Apophis takes 323.6 days to orbit the sun. Earth takes 365.3 days). And Apophis gets nearly as close to the sun as the planet Venus, then heads out to just beyond Earth’s orbit. Its orbit defines Apophis as what astronomers call an Aten-class asteroid.

During its orbit, Apophis can pass very close to the Earth. This fact quickly caught the attention of astronomers worldwide. By December 2004, they had enough data to make a rough calculation of the future orbit of the asteroid. And they found it had a 2.7% chance of hitting the Earth in April 2029, on Friday the 13th. That same month, Apophis moved to the top of the list of potentially hazardous asteroids.

You can imagine the media frenzy that resulted.

Probability of collision reduced by precision

It took several more years of studying this asteroid to learn it would not strike Earth in 2029. The fact is, an asteroid’s orbital path can be changed slightly, every time it passes near another astronomical object. And the Yarkovsky effect – a minor push on the asteroid caused by sunlight – can change its orbit.

Both are known effects. But astronomers can determine the extent of these effects only after careful measurement of an asteroid’s positions over the course of years.

And observing this asteroid year after year isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Some years, the asteroid isn’t observable because it appears too close to the sun, as seen from the Earth. So astronomers imaged Apophis extensively whenever it was visible. And, by 2006, they were able to determine that Apophis won’t hit the Earth in 2029.

Whew, we dodged that one!

What about 2036?

But what about the next close approach in 2036? That possibility was eliminated in 2013.

In early March of 2013, all eyes turned toward Apophis as the asteroid made a relatively close sweep (though not nearly as close as in 2029) to our planet on March 6. The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex tracked the asteroid for about two weeks around the closest approach. Researchers at the Green Bank Telescope took observations, coordinating with Goldstone because the use of these two telescopes together allows the data to be sharper. The coordination between the two telescopes meant that Goldstone was transmitting data while Green Bank was receiving, performing what is known as a bistatic experiment that doubled the strength of the received signal. Marina Brozovic of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained:

Apophis made a [close approach in 2013] with Earth, it was still nearly 10.6 million miles (17 million km) away. Even so, we were able to acquire incredibly precise information about its distance to an accuracy of about 490 feet (150 meters).

Later calculations let NASA scientists announce on March 26, 2021, that Earth is safe from an impact with the relatively large asteroid for at least the next 100 years. Radar observations taken at NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California and the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia have officially ruled out an impact in 2068, the only year out of the next 100 that previously showed a slight risk. Earlier observations had ruled out impacts during the upcoming 2029 and 2036 flybys.

Davide Farnocchia of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies said:

A 2068 impact is not in the realm of possibility anymore, and our calculations don’t show any impact risk for at least the next 100 years.

Apophis is no longer listed as a risk

This new analysis means that Apophis is no longer on the Sentry Impact Risk Table, which is a list of objects that pass so close by Earth that astronomers have not yet been able to rule out a possible strike.

This campaign not only helped us rule out any impact risk, but it also set us up for a wonderful science opportunity in 2029.

These images show asteroid Apophis during 3 days of its flyby on March 8, 9 and 10, 2021. Radio antennas at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone Complex in California and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia worked together to acquire these images. The asteroid was 10.6 million miles (17 million km) away, and each pixel has a resolution of 127 feet (39 meters). Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ NSF/ AUI/ GBO.

The images seen above are the product of the collaboration. Brozovic went on to describe the excellent quality achieved through the collaboration, which she called:

… a remarkable resolution, considering the asteroid was 10.6 million miles (17 million km) away, or about 44 times the Earth-moon distance. If we had binoculars as powerful as this radar, we would be able to sit in Los Angeles and read a dinner menu at a restaurant in New York.

More images from 2021

The image, taken by the Virtual Telescope Project in Europe, shows Apophis as a distant bright dot against a backdrop of stars.The photo was taken using a telescope mounted on a robotic arm. The astronomers used a single 300-second exposure shot to capture the image, seen below pic.twitter.com/6y5dIU7d7Y

— ? ???? ? (@TeahCartel) March 5, 2021

The Virtual Telescope Project, based in Rome, Italy, captured asteroid (99942) Apophis on March 2, 2021. The asteroid shows as a dot – while the stars around it show as streaks – because the telescope was tracking the asteroid’s motion. It is moving through space with respect to Earth at 2.894 miles/sec (4.658 km/sec). Image via Virtual Telescope.

Astronomers also studied asteroid Apophis using NASA’s NEOWISE infrared space telescope in April 2021. This is the same telescope that discovered 2020’s favorite comet, Comet NEOWISE. They found the asteroid is about 1181 feet (360 meters) across and reflects about 30% to 50% of the light that strikes it. They also suspect the asteroid is “significantly elongated.” The NEOWISE report is here.

A gentle effect that pushes a rock

Astronomers in Hawaii studied how Yarkovsky acceleration, or pushes due to sunlight, would change Apophis’ orbit. In some instances, acceleration – a change in an object’s speed and direction through space – can help avoid a collision. Studies of Yarkovsky acceleration as related to asteroid Apophis suggest this is the case for this asteroid.

Astronomer Dave Tholen and colleagues suggest that Apophis is drifting more than 500 feet (about 152 meters) per year from its expected position in its orbit. These observations aren’t easy to obtain and analyze. Factors such as the asteroid’s distance at the time of observation, its composition, its shape, and its surface features all affect the outcome.

Read more about the Yarkovsky effect: Pushing asteroids around with sunlight

This animation shows the distance between the Apophis asteroid and Earth at the time of the asteroid’s closest approach in 2029. The blue dots are manmade satellites orbiting our planet, and the pink represents the International Space Station. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.

As a result of the extremely close approach of April 2029, it is expected that perturbations caused by Earth’s gravity will change Apophis’ orbit from the Aten to the Apollo class. Image via NASA/ Marco Polo/ Wikimedia Commons.

Apophis between now and then

Apophis is now in a part of the sky that is not observable from Earth. It will remain so until we see it again in 2029.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx was a historic space mission which brought the first samples from asteroid Bennu back to Earth. The spacecraft remains in good condition and still has a quarter of its fuel left. So NASA has redirected the craft to a new destination. It’s now on its way to Apophis. After a long journey, the craft will reach Apophis in April 2029, just as the asteroid is sweeping past Earth.

And NASA has given the mission a new name. It’s now called OSIRIS-APEX, short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Apophis Explorer.

Bottom line: In just three years, asteroid Apophis will zoom safely past Earth. This much-anticipated event is a must-see! Here’s how.

Via NASA

Via CNEOS

Read more: OSIRIS-APEX mission is headed to asteroid Apophis

Read more about the Yarkovsky effect: Pushing asteroids around with sunlight

The post Asteroid Apophis’ close approach is just 3 years away first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/tlocR1S

Asteroid Apophis was briefly considered the most dangerous known asteroid. Now we know it won’t hit Earth in 2029, but its close flyby on April 13, 2029, will be one of the most remarkable astronomical events in recorded history. Those on the night side of Earth will be able to watch it streak past with the eye alone! If you’ve heard the scare stories about Apophis, let this conversation with planetary astronomer Richard Binzel separate myth from reality. Watch on July 8 at noon CDT (17:00 UTC) here or on YouTube.

Support science … support wonder. Donate to EarthSky and be part of something big.

When to look for asteroid Apophis

Three years from tomorrow – on Friday, April 13, 2029 – a relatively large and extremely infamous asteroid named 99942 Apophis will zoom past Earth. It’ll be bright enough to see without optical aid. Many astronomers will study it. But Apophis will not strike us in 2029. For a time, initial observations suggested that if Apophis passed through a region of space only half a mile wide (about 800 meters) – dubbed a “keyhole” by astronomers – at the 2029 pass, then it might strike us exactly seven years later, on April 13, 2036. But, by 2006, that idea was disproven.

Apophis is exciting! But it’s not frightening. Here’s the updated story on this amazing asteroid.

And you pronounce Apophis as uh-pah’-fs.

Orbit of asteroid Apophis (pink) in contrast to the orbit of Earth (blue), from the years 2028 to 2030. The yellow dot represents the sun. Apophis takes 323.6 days to orbit the sun. Earth takes 365.3 days. Thus this asteroid is a fairly frequent visitor to our region of space. Image via Phoenix7777/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0).

Location, location, location

Apophis is a space rock about 1,100 feet (340 meters) across. Calculations in recent years have proven the asteroid will safely glide past Earth in both 2029 and 2036. In 2029, Apophis should pass at a nominal distance of 19,662 miles (31,643 km) from the Earth’s surface. That’s in contrast to the moon’s average distance of about 238,000 miles (384,000 km). And it’s closer than many Earth-orbiting satellites. As the asteroid encounters Earth’s gravitational field in 2029, one result could be asteroid-quakes on Apophis. This passage will also change the orbit of Apophis slightly.

Not everyone will be able to see Apophis in 2029. If you are in Australia, southern Asia, southern Europe, or Africa, you will have a front-row seat to see this asteroid when it is at its brightest. As the asteroid moves farther from the Earth and dims, it becomes visible in eastern South America. As evening falls along the east coast of North America, the asteroid will be a telescopic object located in a part of the sky about 15 degrees north of the Pleiades. An ephemeris for the asteroid is here.

Discovery of Apophis

Astronomers at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tuscon, Arizona, discovered Apophis on the evening of June 19, 2004. The team of Dave Tholen, Fabrizio Bernardi, and the late Roy Tucker were searching for asteroids low in the western sky. They were specifically looking for objects in the direction of the sun. The asteroid they found was originally designated 2004 MN4. It was 57 degrees from the sun, unusually close for an asteroid.

But astronomers quickly recognized this asteroid was different from most. It orbits the sun in less than one Earth year (Apophis takes 323.6 days to orbit the sun. Earth takes 365.3 days). And Apophis gets nearly as close to the sun as the planet Venus, then heads out to just beyond Earth’s orbit. Its orbit defines Apophis as what astronomers call an Aten-class asteroid.

During its orbit, Apophis can pass very close to the Earth. This fact quickly caught the attention of astronomers worldwide. By December 2004, they had enough data to make a rough calculation of the future orbit of the asteroid. And they found it had a 2.7% chance of hitting the Earth in April 2029, on Friday the 13th. That same month, Apophis moved to the top of the list of potentially hazardous asteroids.

You can imagine the media frenzy that resulted.

Probability of collision reduced by precision

It took several more years of studying this asteroid to learn it would not strike Earth in 2029. The fact is, an asteroid’s orbital path can be changed slightly, every time it passes near another astronomical object. And the Yarkovsky effect – a minor push on the asteroid caused by sunlight – can change its orbit.

Both are known effects. But astronomers can determine the extent of these effects only after careful measurement of an asteroid’s positions over the course of years.

And observing this asteroid year after year isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Some years, the asteroid isn’t observable because it appears too close to the sun, as seen from the Earth. So astronomers imaged Apophis extensively whenever it was visible. And, by 2006, they were able to determine that Apophis won’t hit the Earth in 2029.

Whew, we dodged that one!

What about 2036?

But what about the next close approach in 2036? That possibility was eliminated in 2013.

In early March of 2013, all eyes turned toward Apophis as the asteroid made a relatively close sweep (though not nearly as close as in 2029) to our planet on March 6. The Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex tracked the asteroid for about two weeks around the closest approach. Researchers at the Green Bank Telescope took observations, coordinating with Goldstone because the use of these two telescopes together allows the data to be sharper. The coordination between the two telescopes meant that Goldstone was transmitting data while Green Bank was receiving, performing what is known as a bistatic experiment that doubled the strength of the received signal. Marina Brozovic of NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory explained:

Apophis made a [close approach in 2013] with Earth, it was still nearly 10.6 million miles (17 million km) away. Even so, we were able to acquire incredibly precise information about its distance to an accuracy of about 490 feet (150 meters).

Later calculations let NASA scientists announce on March 26, 2021, that Earth is safe from an impact with the relatively large asteroid for at least the next 100 years. Radar observations taken at NASA’s Goldstone Deep Space Communications Complex in California and the Green Bank Observatory in West Virginia have officially ruled out an impact in 2068, the only year out of the next 100 that previously showed a slight risk. Earlier observations had ruled out impacts during the upcoming 2029 and 2036 flybys.

Davide Farnocchia of NASA’s Center for Near-Earth Object Studies said:

A 2068 impact is not in the realm of possibility anymore, and our calculations don’t show any impact risk for at least the next 100 years.

Apophis is no longer listed as a risk

This new analysis means that Apophis is no longer on the Sentry Impact Risk Table, which is a list of objects that pass so close by Earth that astronomers have not yet been able to rule out a possible strike.

This campaign not only helped us rule out any impact risk, but it also set us up for a wonderful science opportunity in 2029.

These images show asteroid Apophis during 3 days of its flyby on March 8, 9 and 10, 2021. Radio antennas at the Deep Space Network’s Goldstone Complex in California and the Green Bank Telescope in West Virginia worked together to acquire these images. The asteroid was 10.6 million miles (17 million km) away, and each pixel has a resolution of 127 feet (39 meters). Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech/ NSF/ AUI/ GBO.

The images seen above are the product of the collaboration. Brozovic went on to describe the excellent quality achieved through the collaboration, which she called:

… a remarkable resolution, considering the asteroid was 10.6 million miles (17 million km) away, or about 44 times the Earth-moon distance. If we had binoculars as powerful as this radar, we would be able to sit in Los Angeles and read a dinner menu at a restaurant in New York.

More images from 2021

The image, taken by the Virtual Telescope Project in Europe, shows Apophis as a distant bright dot against a backdrop of stars.The photo was taken using a telescope mounted on a robotic arm. The astronomers used a single 300-second exposure shot to capture the image, seen below pic.twitter.com/6y5dIU7d7Y

— ? ???? ? (@TeahCartel) March 5, 2021

The Virtual Telescope Project, based in Rome, Italy, captured asteroid (99942) Apophis on March 2, 2021. The asteroid shows as a dot – while the stars around it show as streaks – because the telescope was tracking the asteroid’s motion. It is moving through space with respect to Earth at 2.894 miles/sec (4.658 km/sec). Image via Virtual Telescope.

Astronomers also studied asteroid Apophis using NASA’s NEOWISE infrared space telescope in April 2021. This is the same telescope that discovered 2020’s favorite comet, Comet NEOWISE. They found the asteroid is about 1181 feet (360 meters) across and reflects about 30% to 50% of the light that strikes it. They also suspect the asteroid is “significantly elongated.” The NEOWISE report is here.

A gentle effect that pushes a rock

Astronomers in Hawaii studied how Yarkovsky acceleration, or pushes due to sunlight, would change Apophis’ orbit. In some instances, acceleration – a change in an object’s speed and direction through space – can help avoid a collision. Studies of Yarkovsky acceleration as related to asteroid Apophis suggest this is the case for this asteroid.

Astronomer Dave Tholen and colleagues suggest that Apophis is drifting more than 500 feet (about 152 meters) per year from its expected position in its orbit. These observations aren’t easy to obtain and analyze. Factors such as the asteroid’s distance at the time of observation, its composition, its shape, and its surface features all affect the outcome.

Read more about the Yarkovsky effect: Pushing asteroids around with sunlight

This animation shows the distance between the Apophis asteroid and Earth at the time of the asteroid’s closest approach in 2029. The blue dots are manmade satellites orbiting our planet, and the pink represents the International Space Station. Image via NASA/ JPL-Caltech.

As a result of the extremely close approach of April 2029, it is expected that perturbations caused by Earth’s gravity will change Apophis’ orbit from the Aten to the Apollo class. Image via NASA/ Marco Polo/ Wikimedia Commons.

Apophis between now and then

Apophis is now in a part of the sky that is not observable from Earth. It will remain so until we see it again in 2029.

NASA’s OSIRIS-REx was a historic space mission which brought the first samples from asteroid Bennu back to Earth. The spacecraft remains in good condition and still has a quarter of its fuel left. So NASA has redirected the craft to a new destination. It’s now on its way to Apophis. After a long journey, the craft will reach Apophis in April 2029, just as the asteroid is sweeping past Earth.

And NASA has given the mission a new name. It’s now called OSIRIS-APEX, short for Origins, Spectral Interpretation, Resource Identification, and Security – Apophis Explorer.

Bottom line: In just three years, asteroid Apophis will zoom safely past Earth. This much-anticipated event is a must-see! Here’s how.

Via NASA

Via CNEOS

Read more: OSIRIS-APEX mission is headed to asteroid Apophis

Read more about the Yarkovsky effect: Pushing asteroids around with sunlight

The post Asteroid Apophis’ close approach is just 3 years away first appeared on EarthSky.

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Nearby super-Earth GJ 3378b may be a good candidate for life

View larger. | Artist’s concept of the nearby super-Earth planet GJ 3378b. It’s about twice the size of Earth and receives a similar amount of light from its star as Earth does. Could it be habitable? Image via Nikolai Berman/ UC Irvine.

• GJ 3378b is a super-Earth exoplanet about 25 light-years away. It is about twice the size of Earth.
• The planet is in the habitable zone of its red dwarf star, where liquid water could exist. But does it have an atmosphere?
• We don’t know yet if GJ 3378b has an atmosphere. If it does, it could possibly be rather Earth-like and habitable.

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Nearby super-Earth planet could be habitable

Astronomers have discovered a new Earth-like planet that might be a good candidate for habitability. The exoplanet, GJ 3378b, is about twice the size of Earth and 25 light-years away. The team of researchers, led by the University of California, Irvine, said on June 30, 2026, that the planet is in the habitable zone of its red dwarf star. That means it could have liquid water on its surface, if it has an atmosphere. So this planet could be habitable. But we don’t have enough data to know that yet.

The size of the planet makes it a super-Earth. Those are rocky planets that are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.

The team used the Habitable-zone Planet Finder instrument on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at the McDonald Observatory in Texas to observe the planet’s host star. Astronomers first identified GJ 3378b as a candidate planet in 2024. And now, it is a confirmed planet.

The new observations also refined the planet’s orbit from 25 days to 21. That’s a lot less than Earth’s at 365 days, but the planet also orbits much closer to its red dwarf star, which is smaller and cooler than our sun.

The researchers published the peer-reviewed details of the new discovery in The Astrophysical Journal on June 30, 2026.

In the habitable zone

GJ 3378b is in the habitable zone of its star, a good location for potential habitability. That’s the region where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist on a planet’s surface, though whether it actually does also depends on its own atmosphere and composition. The planet does receive a suitable amount of radiation from its star, as lead author Paul Robertson at UC Irvine stated:

This super-Earth gets about 90% of the radiation from its host star as Earth gets from its sun, so it’s right in the sweet spot.

This one’s exciting. It’s one of our closest cosmic neighbors. 25 light-years sounds like a long way, but the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across, so in that respect it’s our next-door neighbor.

He added:

Our mantra is ‘follow the water.’ It’s the one thing every known living thing on Earth needs, so that’s the first thing we look for when trying to find environments that could sustain life.

Paul Robertson at UC Irvine led the new study about GJ 3378b and its potential habitability. Image via UC Irvine.

Does GJ 3378b have an atmosphere?

What we know so far about GJ 3378b sounds promising in terms of habitability. But there’s still one big question: does the planet have an atmosphere? We don’t know yet. It’s in the habitable zone, but it’s also at the edge of what scientists call the cosmic shoreline. If a planet is outside of that boundary, closer to the star, then radiation from the star could strip away the planet’s atmosphere. This is common with planets close to red dwarf stars.

But GJ 3378b is right at the edge of this boundary. And we don’t know yet if it still has an atmosphere or if it had one and lost it. Ideally, the planet would have a thin, evolved atmosphere like Earth’s — nitrogen-based, not the thick, hydrogen-dominated “primordial” atmosphere a planet is born with. A more Earth-like atmosphere could maintain liquid water, as Robertson explained:

If you scale the Earth down to the size of an apple, its atmosphere would be about as thick as the skin of the apple. That’s just enough to maintain the kinds of surface pressures where you can have liquid water. It’s enough that there’ll be breathable air, and it provides maybe a little bit of protection from the harsh radiation environment of space.

Searching for signs of life on GJ 3378b

Right now, we don’t know if GJ 3378b is even habitable, let alone has life of any kind. But scientists want to take a closer look. NASA’s planned Habitable Worlds Observatory, for example, scheduled to launch sometime in the 2040s, would be able to take direct images of the planet. That, or perhaps other telescopic observations before then, will help determine whether GJ 3378b could actually support life. And then scientists could search for biosignatures, chemical or other signs of life in the planet’s atmosphere.

Gogod James, a UC Irvine student, said:

If a planet in the habitable zone has a proper atmosphere, we can justify further research looking for biosignatures, liquid water or other signs of life that require both an atmosphere and the right amount of heating from the host star.

View larger. | This is another artist’s concept of a super-Earth exoplanet. Image via NASA.

The search for biosignatures continues

As Michael Endl, an astronomer at UT Austin, noted:

The ultimate goal is biosignatures. We really want to know, ‘Are we alone in the universe?’ We are still in the reconnaissance phase of our solar neighborhood, trying to find the planets around the nearest stars because those will be the easiest ones to detect a biosignature on. This planet brings us one step closer to knowing all of our neighbors and, ultimately, which might be hospitable for life.

For Robertson, the prospect of searching for life on GJ 3378b is something to savor:

I think that’s just too much fun.

Bottom line: Astronomers have gotten a closer look at the nearby super-Earth GJ 3378b. It could be habitable, if it has an atmosphere.

Source: A Revised Mass and Period for the Habitable Zone super-Earth GJ 3378 b: A Planet Straddling the Cosmic Shoreline

Via UC Irvine

Via McDonald Observatory

Read more: Nearby super-Earth is super-hot and airless

Read more: Powerful magnetic fields on super-Earths could boost chances of life

The post Nearby super-Earth GJ 3378b may be a good candidate for life first appeared on EarthSky.

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View larger. | Artist’s concept of the nearby super-Earth planet GJ 3378b. It’s about twice the size of Earth and receives a similar amount of light from its star as Earth does. Could it be habitable? Image via Nikolai Berman/ UC Irvine.

• GJ 3378b is a super-Earth exoplanet about 25 light-years away. It is about twice the size of Earth.
• The planet is in the habitable zone of its red dwarf star, where liquid water could exist. But does it have an atmosphere?
• We don’t know yet if GJ 3378b has an atmosphere. If it does, it could possibly be rather Earth-like and habitable.

EarthSky isn’t powered by billionaires. We’re powered by you. Support EarthSky’s 2026 Donation Campaign and help keep science accessible.

Nearby super-Earth planet could be habitable

Astronomers have discovered a new Earth-like planet that might be a good candidate for habitability. The exoplanet, GJ 3378b, is about twice the size of Earth and 25 light-years away. The team of researchers, led by the University of California, Irvine, said on June 30, 2026, that the planet is in the habitable zone of its red dwarf star. That means it could have liquid water on its surface, if it has an atmosphere. So this planet could be habitable. But we don’t have enough data to know that yet.

The size of the planet makes it a super-Earth. Those are rocky planets that are larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune.

The team used the Habitable-zone Planet Finder instrument on the Hobby-Eberly Telescope at the McDonald Observatory in Texas to observe the planet’s host star. Astronomers first identified GJ 3378b as a candidate planet in 2024. And now, it is a confirmed planet.

The new observations also refined the planet’s orbit from 25 days to 21. That’s a lot less than Earth’s at 365 days, but the planet also orbits much closer to its red dwarf star, which is smaller and cooler than our sun.

The researchers published the peer-reviewed details of the new discovery in The Astrophysical Journal on June 30, 2026.

In the habitable zone

GJ 3378b is in the habitable zone of its star, a good location for potential habitability. That’s the region where temperatures could allow liquid water to exist on a planet’s surface, though whether it actually does also depends on its own atmosphere and composition. The planet does receive a suitable amount of radiation from its star, as lead author Paul Robertson at UC Irvine stated:

This super-Earth gets about 90% of the radiation from its host star as Earth gets from its sun, so it’s right in the sweet spot.

This one’s exciting. It’s one of our closest cosmic neighbors. 25 light-years sounds like a long way, but the Milky Way is about 100,000 light-years across, so in that respect it’s our next-door neighbor.

He added:

Our mantra is ‘follow the water.’ It’s the one thing every known living thing on Earth needs, so that’s the first thing we look for when trying to find environments that could sustain life.

Paul Robertson at UC Irvine led the new study about GJ 3378b and its potential habitability. Image via UC Irvine.

Does GJ 3378b have an atmosphere?

What we know so far about GJ 3378b sounds promising in terms of habitability. But there’s still one big question: does the planet have an atmosphere? We don’t know yet. It’s in the habitable zone, but it’s also at the edge of what scientists call the cosmic shoreline. If a planet is outside of that boundary, closer to the star, then radiation from the star could strip away the planet’s atmosphere. This is common with planets close to red dwarf stars.

But GJ 3378b is right at the edge of this boundary. And we don’t know yet if it still has an atmosphere or if it had one and lost it. Ideally, the planet would have a thin, evolved atmosphere like Earth’s — nitrogen-based, not the thick, hydrogen-dominated “primordial” atmosphere a planet is born with. A more Earth-like atmosphere could maintain liquid water, as Robertson explained:

If you scale the Earth down to the size of an apple, its atmosphere would be about as thick as the skin of the apple. That’s just enough to maintain the kinds of surface pressures where you can have liquid water. It’s enough that there’ll be breathable air, and it provides maybe a little bit of protection from the harsh radiation environment of space.

Searching for signs of life on GJ 3378b

Right now, we don’t know if GJ 3378b is even habitable, let alone has life of any kind. But scientists want to take a closer look. NASA’s planned Habitable Worlds Observatory, for example, scheduled to launch sometime in the 2040s, would be able to take direct images of the planet. That, or perhaps other telescopic observations before then, will help determine whether GJ 3378b could actually support life. And then scientists could search for biosignatures, chemical or other signs of life in the planet’s atmosphere.

Gogod James, a UC Irvine student, said:

If a planet in the habitable zone has a proper atmosphere, we can justify further research looking for biosignatures, liquid water or other signs of life that require both an atmosphere and the right amount of heating from the host star.

View larger. | This is another artist’s concept of a super-Earth exoplanet. Image via NASA.

The search for biosignatures continues

As Michael Endl, an astronomer at UT Austin, noted:

The ultimate goal is biosignatures. We really want to know, ‘Are we alone in the universe?’ We are still in the reconnaissance phase of our solar neighborhood, trying to find the planets around the nearest stars because those will be the easiest ones to detect a biosignature on. This planet brings us one step closer to knowing all of our neighbors and, ultimately, which might be hospitable for life.

For Robertson, the prospect of searching for life on GJ 3378b is something to savor:

I think that’s just too much fun.

Bottom line: Astronomers have gotten a closer look at the nearby super-Earth GJ 3378b. It could be habitable, if it has an atmosphere.

Source: A Revised Mass and Period for the Habitable Zone super-Earth GJ 3378 b: A Planet Straddling the Cosmic Shoreline

Via UC Irvine

Via McDonald Observatory

Read more: Nearby super-Earth is super-hot and airless

Read more: Powerful magnetic fields on super-Earths could boost chances of life

The post Nearby super-Earth GJ 3378b may be a good candidate for life first appeared on EarthSky.

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Summer Triangle star: Vega is bright and blue-white

This chart shows the 3 stars of the Summer Triangle in the east on July evenings. Note the size of Vega’s constellation, Lyra. The Summer Triangle is big! A 12-inch (1/3-meter) ruler, placed at an arm’s length from your eye, will span the approximate distance from Vega to the star Altair. And an outstretched hand will fill the gap between Vega and Deneb. You can see the Summer Triangle in the evening from around May through the end of every year.

The Summer Triangle

On July evenings, look eastward from the Northern Hemisphere for the season’s signature star pattern. It’s an asterism called the Summer Triangle, and, as you might guess, it consists of three stars: blue-white Vega, distant Deneb and fast-spinning Altair.

During northern summer, they’re the first three stars to light up the eastern half of the sky after sunset. You can see them even from light-polluted cities or on a moonlit night.

Watch for the Summer Triangle pattern in the evening beginning around the June solstice, through the end of each year.

Its brightest star is brilliant Vega, in the constellation Lyra the Harp. Read on to find out more about the Summer Triangle’s most dazzling star.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia captured this image from New York on September 1, 2024, and wrote: “The Milky Way, the Summer Triangle and a shooting star.” Thank you, Steven.

Vega is bright and blue-white

Blue-white Vega shines brightest of the three stars in the Summer Triangle. In fact, it’s the brightest star in the east on July evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.

Vega is also the brightest light in the constellation Lyra the Harp. Thus, Vega is also known as Alpha Lyrae. It shines at magnitude +0.03.

Vega is located about 25 light-years away from us. Many people recognize Vega’s constellation, Lyra. This pattern of stars looks like a triangle connected to a parallelogram.

Many skywatchers around the world have a special place in their hearts for the beautiful blue-white Vega. Come to know it, and you will see why.

How to see Vega from the Northern Hemisphere

Observers in the Northern Hemisphere typically begin noticing Vega in the evening around May, when this star comes into view in the northeast in mid-evening. Throughout northern summer, Vega shines brightly in the east in the evening. It’s high overhead on northern autumn evenings, and in the northwest by December evenings.

The little constellation Lyra has some interesting features. Near Vega you can see Epsilon Lyrae, which telescope users know as a famous Double Double star. That’s because binoculars reveal Epsilon Lyrae to be a double star, while a small telescope reveals each of these components to also be a double star.

Meanwhile, another famous telescopic sight lies between the Gamma and Beta stars in Lyra: the Ring Nebula, also called M57.

You can see Vega, Epsilon Lyrae and M57 (the Ring Nebula) marked on the chart below.

The constellation Lyra the Harp is easy to spot as a triangle connected to a parallelogram with Vega as the brightest star. We’ve marked some other noteworthy objects in this constellation, too. Notice Epsilon Lyrae, also known as the Double Double star, and M57, also called the Ring Nebula.

Science of the star Vega

Vega is the 5th-brightest star visible from Earth, and the 3rd-brightest easily visible from mid-northern latitudes, after Sirius and Arcturus. At about 25 light-years away, it is the 6th-closest of all the bright stars.

The star’s distinct blue color indicates a surface temperature of nearly 17,000 degrees Fahrenheit (9,400 Celsius), which is is about 7,000 degrees F (4,000 C) hotter than our sun.

Vega’s diameter is roughly 2.5 times the diameter of the sun, and it has about twice its mass. But Vega’s internal pressures and temperatures – far greater than our sun’s – will cause it to burn its internal fuel faster. At only 1/2 billion years old, Vega is already middle-aged. That’s in contrast to our middle-aged sun, which is 4 1/2 billion years old. Vega is only about a 10th of our sun’s age, but it will run out of fuel in only another half-billion years.

In astronomer-speak, Vega is an “A0V main sequence star.” The “A0” signifies its temperature, whereas the “V” is a measure of energy output (luminosity), indicating that Vega is a normal star (not a giant). “Main sequence” means it’s in the category of normal stars, and produces energy through stable fusion of hydrogen into helium. With a visual magnitude of +0.03 (apparent brightness), Vega appears only marginally dimmer than Arcturus, but with a distinctly different, cool-blue color.

Vega rotates so fast it’s flattened

Vega rotates rapidly, making a single full rotation about its axis once about every 12.5 hours. In contrast, our sun requires 27 days to spin once. As a result, if you could visit Vega in space, you’d find it noticeably flattened, as shown in the computer simulation below. Though a fast spinner, Vega isn’t the fastest of the three Summer Triangle stars. Altair rotates once in only about 10 hours!

This artist’s concept contrasts Vega with our own sun. It rotates so fast that, if you could see it close up, the star would appear flattened. Image via Aufdenberg/ NOIRlab/ AURA/ NSF.

Vega appears to have an asteroid belt

In 2018, astronomers announced it appears Vega has a large asteroid belt surrounding it. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory detected a ring of warm, rocky debris. NASA said:

In this diagram, the Vega system, which was already known to have a cooler outer belt of comets (orange), is compared to our solar system with its asteroid and Kuiper belts. The relative size of our solar system compared to Vega is illustrated by the small drawing in the middle. On the right, our solar system is scaled up four times.

The comparison illustrates that both systems have inner and outer belts with similar proportions. The gap between the inner and outer debris belts in both systems works out to a ratio of about 1-to-10, with the outer belt 10 times farther away from its host star than the inner belt.

Diagram of a possible asteroid belt (shown here as a warm inner belt) around the star Vega. The outer cool belt might be comets. Also, this shows the Vega system in comparison to our solar system enlarged 4 times and to scale. Image via NASA / JPL.

No planets found at Vega

In 1984, astronomers using the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) spotted a strange excess of infrared light surrounding the bright star Vega. They interpreted this as a disk of planet-forming material. It was the first of many debris disks now identified around stars. Many of these disks contain ring-shaped gaps, likely carved out by exoplanets.

However, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope to study Vega found no evidence of planets around the star. The two telescopes provided an unprecedentedly detailed view of Vega’s dust disk, and found it to be almost totally smooth, with no signs of any planets. Of course, the study of Vega – and the search for planets there – continues.

Read more: Famous disk around Vega shows no planets?

In tradition and myth

In western skylore, Vega’s constellation Lyra was a harp that the legendary Greek musician Orpheus played. According to legend, when Orpheus played his harp, neither god nor mortal could turn away.

In western culture, Vega is known as the Harp Star.

But Asia has the most beautiful stories relating to Vega. In China, the legend speaks of a forbidden romance between the goddess Zhinü – represented by Vega – and a humble farm boy, Niulang, represented by the star Altair. Separated in the night sky by the Milky Way, or Celestial River, the two lovers may meet only once a year. It’s said that their meeting comes on the 7th night of the 7th moon, when a bridge of magpies forms across the Celestial River, and the two lovers briefly reunite.

Their reunion marks the time of the Qixi Festival.

More star lore

In Japan, the Tanabata Festival features Orihime, a celestial princess or goddess, represented by Vega, who falls in love with a mortal, Hikoboshi, represented by the star Altair. However, this enrages Orihime’s father so he forbids her to see this mere mortal. Then … you know the story. The gods place the two lovers in the sky, separated by the Celestial River or Milky Way. Yet the sky gods in kindness let them reunite on the 7th night of the 7th moon each year. Sometimes Hikoboshi’s annual trip across the Celestial River is treacherous, though, and he doesn’t make it. In that case, Orihime’s tears form raindrops that fall over Japan.

Many Japanese celebrations of Tanabata occur in July, but sometimes they take place in August. Sometimes the Perseid meteor shower represents Orihime’s tears in myth.

For observation, Vega’s position is RA: 18h 36m 56.3s, dec: +38° 47′ 1.3″.

Bottom line: The star Vega in the constellation Lyra is one of the sky’s most beloved stars for people around the world.

Our Summer Triangle series includes:

Vega is bright and blue-white

Deneb is distant and very luminous

Altair spins fast!

Read more: Apex of the sun: Look to Vega in May

The post Summer Triangle star: Vega is bright and blue-white first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/dIm36ni

This chart shows the 3 stars of the Summer Triangle in the east on July evenings. Note the size of Vega’s constellation, Lyra. The Summer Triangle is big! A 12-inch (1/3-meter) ruler, placed at an arm’s length from your eye, will span the approximate distance from Vega to the star Altair. And an outstretched hand will fill the gap between Vega and Deneb. You can see the Summer Triangle in the evening from around May through the end of every year.

The Summer Triangle

On July evenings, look eastward from the Northern Hemisphere for the season’s signature star pattern. It’s an asterism called the Summer Triangle, and, as you might guess, it consists of three stars: blue-white Vega, distant Deneb and fast-spinning Altair.

During northern summer, they’re the first three stars to light up the eastern half of the sky after sunset. You can see them even from light-polluted cities or on a moonlit night.

Watch for the Summer Triangle pattern in the evening beginning around the June solstice, through the end of each year.

Its brightest star is brilliant Vega, in the constellation Lyra the Harp. Read on to find out more about the Summer Triangle’s most dazzling star.

View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Steven Bellavia captured this image from New York on September 1, 2024, and wrote: “The Milky Way, the Summer Triangle and a shooting star.” Thank you, Steven.

Vega is bright and blue-white

Blue-white Vega shines brightest of the three stars in the Summer Triangle. In fact, it’s the brightest star in the east on July evenings in the Northern Hemisphere.

Vega is also the brightest light in the constellation Lyra the Harp. Thus, Vega is also known as Alpha Lyrae. It shines at magnitude +0.03.

Vega is located about 25 light-years away from us. Many people recognize Vega’s constellation, Lyra. This pattern of stars looks like a triangle connected to a parallelogram.

Many skywatchers around the world have a special place in their hearts for the beautiful blue-white Vega. Come to know it, and you will see why.

How to see Vega from the Northern Hemisphere

Observers in the Northern Hemisphere typically begin noticing Vega in the evening around May, when this star comes into view in the northeast in mid-evening. Throughout northern summer, Vega shines brightly in the east in the evening. It’s high overhead on northern autumn evenings, and in the northwest by December evenings.

The little constellation Lyra has some interesting features. Near Vega you can see Epsilon Lyrae, which telescope users know as a famous Double Double star. That’s because binoculars reveal Epsilon Lyrae to be a double star, while a small telescope reveals each of these components to also be a double star.

Meanwhile, another famous telescopic sight lies between the Gamma and Beta stars in Lyra: the Ring Nebula, also called M57.

You can see Vega, Epsilon Lyrae and M57 (the Ring Nebula) marked on the chart below.

The constellation Lyra the Harp is easy to spot as a triangle connected to a parallelogram with Vega as the brightest star. We’ve marked some other noteworthy objects in this constellation, too. Notice Epsilon Lyrae, also known as the Double Double star, and M57, also called the Ring Nebula.

Science of the star Vega

Vega is the 5th-brightest star visible from Earth, and the 3rd-brightest easily visible from mid-northern latitudes, after Sirius and Arcturus. At about 25 light-years away, it is the 6th-closest of all the bright stars.

The star’s distinct blue color indicates a surface temperature of nearly 17,000 degrees Fahrenheit (9,400 Celsius), which is is about 7,000 degrees F (4,000 C) hotter than our sun.

Vega’s diameter is roughly 2.5 times the diameter of the sun, and it has about twice its mass. But Vega’s internal pressures and temperatures – far greater than our sun’s – will cause it to burn its internal fuel faster. At only 1/2 billion years old, Vega is already middle-aged. That’s in contrast to our middle-aged sun, which is 4 1/2 billion years old. Vega is only about a 10th of our sun’s age, but it will run out of fuel in only another half-billion years.

In astronomer-speak, Vega is an “A0V main sequence star.” The “A0” signifies its temperature, whereas the “V” is a measure of energy output (luminosity), indicating that Vega is a normal star (not a giant). “Main sequence” means it’s in the category of normal stars, and produces energy through stable fusion of hydrogen into helium. With a visual magnitude of +0.03 (apparent brightness), Vega appears only marginally dimmer than Arcturus, but with a distinctly different, cool-blue color.

Vega rotates so fast it’s flattened

Vega rotates rapidly, making a single full rotation about its axis once about every 12.5 hours. In contrast, our sun requires 27 days to spin once. As a result, if you could visit Vega in space, you’d find it noticeably flattened, as shown in the computer simulation below. Though a fast spinner, Vega isn’t the fastest of the three Summer Triangle stars. Altair rotates once in only about 10 hours!

This artist’s concept contrasts Vega with our own sun. It rotates so fast that, if you could see it close up, the star would appear flattened. Image via Aufdenberg/ NOIRlab/ AURA/ NSF.

Vega appears to have an asteroid belt

In 2018, astronomers announced it appears Vega has a large asteroid belt surrounding it. NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope and the European Space Agency’s Herschel Space Observatory detected a ring of warm, rocky debris. NASA said:

In this diagram, the Vega system, which was already known to have a cooler outer belt of comets (orange), is compared to our solar system with its asteroid and Kuiper belts. The relative size of our solar system compared to Vega is illustrated by the small drawing in the middle. On the right, our solar system is scaled up four times.

The comparison illustrates that both systems have inner and outer belts with similar proportions. The gap between the inner and outer debris belts in both systems works out to a ratio of about 1-to-10, with the outer belt 10 times farther away from its host star than the inner belt.

Diagram of a possible asteroid belt (shown here as a warm inner belt) around the star Vega. The outer cool belt might be comets. Also, this shows the Vega system in comparison to our solar system enlarged 4 times and to scale. Image via NASA / JPL.

No planets found at Vega

In 1984, astronomers using the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS) spotted a strange excess of infrared light surrounding the bright star Vega. They interpreted this as a disk of planet-forming material. It was the first of many debris disks now identified around stars. Many of these disks contain ring-shaped gaps, likely carved out by exoplanets.

However, astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope and James Webb Space Telescope to study Vega found no evidence of planets around the star. The two telescopes provided an unprecedentedly detailed view of Vega’s dust disk, and found it to be almost totally smooth, with no signs of any planets. Of course, the study of Vega – and the search for planets there – continues.

Read more: Famous disk around Vega shows no planets?

In tradition and myth

In western skylore, Vega’s constellation Lyra was a harp that the legendary Greek musician Orpheus played. According to legend, when Orpheus played his harp, neither god nor mortal could turn away.

In western culture, Vega is known as the Harp Star.

But Asia has the most beautiful stories relating to Vega. In China, the legend speaks of a forbidden romance between the goddess Zhinü – represented by Vega – and a humble farm boy, Niulang, represented by the star Altair. Separated in the night sky by the Milky Way, or Celestial River, the two lovers may meet only once a year. It’s said that their meeting comes on the 7th night of the 7th moon, when a bridge of magpies forms across the Celestial River, and the two lovers briefly reunite.

Their reunion marks the time of the Qixi Festival.

More star lore

In Japan, the Tanabata Festival features Orihime, a celestial princess or goddess, represented by Vega, who falls in love with a mortal, Hikoboshi, represented by the star Altair. However, this enrages Orihime’s father so he forbids her to see this mere mortal. Then … you know the story. The gods place the two lovers in the sky, separated by the Celestial River or Milky Way. Yet the sky gods in kindness let them reunite on the 7th night of the 7th moon each year. Sometimes Hikoboshi’s annual trip across the Celestial River is treacherous, though, and he doesn’t make it. In that case, Orihime’s tears form raindrops that fall over Japan.

Many Japanese celebrations of Tanabata occur in July, but sometimes they take place in August. Sometimes the Perseid meteor shower represents Orihime’s tears in myth.

For observation, Vega’s position is RA: 18h 36m 56.3s, dec: +38° 47′ 1.3″.

Bottom line: The star Vega in the constellation Lyra is one of the sky’s most beloved stars for people around the world.

Our Summer Triangle series includes:

Vega is bright and blue-white

Deneb is distant and very luminous

Altair spins fast!

Read more: Apex of the sun: Look to Vega in May

The post Summer Triangle star: Vega is bright and blue-white first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/dIm36ni

2 asteroid flybys yield new closeup images

The Japanese space agency (JAXA) just shared an image from the Hayabusa2 mission to asteroid Torifune. On July 5, 2026, the space probe flew within 6.2 miles (10 km) of the asteroid and sent back the image above. The asteroid appears to be what astronomers call a contact binary, or 2 asteroids stuck together. Just days earlier, the Chinese space agency also made a flyby of a different asteroid, 2016 HO3 Kamo’oalewa. See the pic below. These 2 asteroid flybys came within 3 days of each other. Torifune image via JAXA, The University of Tokyo, Chiba Institute of Technology, Tokyo University of Science, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Paris Observatory, Canary Islands Institute for Astrophysics.

2 asteroid flybys yield new closeup images

Space agencies from both China and Japan have just shared images from flybys of two different asteroids in our solar system. On July 2, 2026, China’s Tianwen-2 probe flew past asteroid Kamo’oalewa from a distance of just 12.5 miles (20 km). Then on July 5, 2026, Japan’s Hayabusa2 flew past asteroid Torifune from a mere 6.2 miles (10 km) distant.

Both space agencies caught images of the asteroids. Kamo’oalewa might be a chunk of the moon ejected in a giant impact. And Torifune revealed itself to be two rubble piles joined together, or what astronomers call a contact binary.

Flyby of asteroid Kamo’oalewa

On July 6, 2026, the China National Space Administration said:

The Tianwen-2 probe has arrived at its target asteroid and begun scientific exploration.

Tianwen-2’s target is the asteroid Kamo’oalewa, which is a near-Earth asteroid. The asteroid has a strange orbit that keeps it in unison with Earth. This resonant orbit makes it a quasi-satellite of Earth. A 2024 study showed Kamo’oalewa might have once been a part of the moon that blasted off during an impact that formed the lunar crater Giordano Bruno.

China’s mission to the asteroid began back on May 29, 2025, with the launch of Tianwen-2. After a journey of what the space agency called about 400 days and 1 billion kilometers (621 million miles), Tianwen-2 will now:

… conduct more detailed scientific explorations to obtain information on the asteroid’s shape, material composition, and internal structure, providing support for preparations for sampling.

The China National Space Administration said on July 6, 2026, that it had recently captured this image of the asteroid Kamo’oalewa. Tianwen-2 took this image on July 2, 2026. Image via China National Space Administration.

Flyby of asteroid Torifune

Hayabusa2’s journey to Torifune has taken much longer. The mission launched to space in December 2014. At that time, its target was the asteroid Ryugu. In 2020, Hayabusa2 rendezvoused with Ryugu and took samples that it sent back to Earth. Analysis of the samples show they are rich in primitive organic material.

After Ryugu, JAXA sent the Hayabusa2 probe on an extended mission to Torifune. The probe arrived at 18:30 Japan Standard Time on July 5, 2026. Hayabusa2 made several observations during its flyby. JAXA is still acquiring this data, so expect more revelations about the asteroid to come!

But Hayabusa2’s extended mission is not over. After a couple swings past Earth, the space probe is headed for the tiny asteroid 1998 KY26. The asteroid is just 11 meters (36 feet) in diameter. Hayabusa2 should arrive at the asteroid in 2031.

Bottom line: Japanese and Chinese space agencies both completed asteroid flybys in early July, 2026. See the closeup images here.

Via JAXA

Via China National Space Administration

The post 2 asteroid flybys yield new closeup images first appeared on EarthSky.

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The Japanese space agency (JAXA) just shared an image from the Hayabusa2 mission to asteroid Torifune. On July 5, 2026, the space probe flew within 6.2 miles (10 km) of the asteroid and sent back the image above. The asteroid appears to be what astronomers call a contact binary, or 2 asteroids stuck together. Just days earlier, the Chinese space agency also made a flyby of a different asteroid, 2016 HO3 Kamo’oalewa. See the pic below. These 2 asteroid flybys came within 3 days of each other. Torifune image via JAXA, The University of Tokyo, Chiba Institute of Technology, Tokyo University of Science, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, Paris Observatory, Canary Islands Institute for Astrophysics.

2 asteroid flybys yield new closeup images

Space agencies from both China and Japan have just shared images from flybys of two different asteroids in our solar system. On July 2, 2026, China’s Tianwen-2 probe flew past asteroid Kamo’oalewa from a distance of just 12.5 miles (20 km). Then on July 5, 2026, Japan’s Hayabusa2 flew past asteroid Torifune from a mere 6.2 miles (10 km) distant.

Both space agencies caught images of the asteroids. Kamo’oalewa might be a chunk of the moon ejected in a giant impact. And Torifune revealed itself to be two rubble piles joined together, or what astronomers call a contact binary.

Flyby of asteroid Kamo’oalewa

On July 6, 2026, the China National Space Administration said:

The Tianwen-2 probe has arrived at its target asteroid and begun scientific exploration.

Tianwen-2’s target is the asteroid Kamo’oalewa, which is a near-Earth asteroid. The asteroid has a strange orbit that keeps it in unison with Earth. This resonant orbit makes it a quasi-satellite of Earth. A 2024 study showed Kamo’oalewa might have once been a part of the moon that blasted off during an impact that formed the lunar crater Giordano Bruno.

China’s mission to the asteroid began back on May 29, 2025, with the launch of Tianwen-2. After a journey of what the space agency called about 400 days and 1 billion kilometers (621 million miles), Tianwen-2 will now:

… conduct more detailed scientific explorations to obtain information on the asteroid’s shape, material composition, and internal structure, providing support for preparations for sampling.

The China National Space Administration said on July 6, 2026, that it had recently captured this image of the asteroid Kamo’oalewa. Tianwen-2 took this image on July 2, 2026. Image via China National Space Administration.

Flyby of asteroid Torifune

Hayabusa2’s journey to Torifune has taken much longer. The mission launched to space in December 2014. At that time, its target was the asteroid Ryugu. In 2020, Hayabusa2 rendezvoused with Ryugu and took samples that it sent back to Earth. Analysis of the samples show they are rich in primitive organic material.

After Ryugu, JAXA sent the Hayabusa2 probe on an extended mission to Torifune. The probe arrived at 18:30 Japan Standard Time on July 5, 2026. Hayabusa2 made several observations during its flyby. JAXA is still acquiring this data, so expect more revelations about the asteroid to come!

But Hayabusa2’s extended mission is not over. After a couple swings past Earth, the space probe is headed for the tiny asteroid 1998 KY26. The asteroid is just 11 meters (36 feet) in diameter. Hayabusa2 should arrive at the asteroid in 2031.

Bottom line: Japanese and Chinese space agencies both completed asteroid flybys in early July, 2026. See the closeup images here.

Via JAXA

Via China National Space Administration

The post 2 asteroid flybys yield new closeup images first appeared on EarthSky.

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Circinus the Drawing Compass, Alpha Centauri’s neighbor

Circinus the Drawing Compass is shaped like a pair of tweezers. Chart via EarthSky.

Circinus the Drawing Compass is a dim constellation of the Southern Hemisphere. Its biggest claim to fame is that it’s located next to Alpha Centauri, the third brightest star in our sky and closest star system to Earth.

Both Circinus and Alpha Centauri lie near the south celestial pole. And so, from the Southern Hemisphere, Circinus never sets. It’s circumpolar, meaning its visible throughout the night all year round in the southern sky.

Circinus is one of the 14 constellations that Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille named in the 18th century. He named it after a drafting tool, the drawing compass.

Your support = more science, more stars, more wonder. Donate to EarthSky and be part of something bigger.

How to find Circinus

Circinus may be dim, with only one star brighter than magnitude 4, but the presence of Alpha Centauri next door makes it easy to find. As the third-brightest star in the sky, Alpha Centauri is easy to find. This magnitude -0.27 star is so far south that to even get a glimpse of it from the Northern Hemisphere, you have to be south of 29 degrees north latitude. Of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, you just have to look up.

On the opposite side of Circinus from Alpha Centauri is Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle. Indeed, Triangulum Australe does resemble a triangle, with its brightest corner star farthest from Circinus.

Stars and star clusters in the Drawing Compass

Circinus’ brightest star, Alpha Circini, is magnitude 3.19 and lies 53 light-years away. And its second brightest star, Beta Circini, lies 7 1/2 degrees from Alpha and shines at magnitude 4.07. It’s 97 light-years from Earth.

Circinus’ best open cluster is NGC 5823. This cluster is magnitude 7.9. Also, about 3 1/2 degrees away is another cluster for telescope observers, NGC 5715, at magnitude 10.

Circinus lies along the Milky Way, which makes it a rich hunting ground for simply scanning with a telescope and seeing what pops up.

Circinus the Drawing Compass is a constellation best seen from southern skies. The dim constellation lies near the bright star Alpha Centauri. Image via IAU/ Sky and Telescope/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).

Bottom line: Circinus the Drawing Compass is a dim constellation located next to the third brightest star in the sky, Alpha Centauri.

Read more: Meet Crux, the constellation of the Southern Cross

Read more: Glowworms turn cave ceilings into underground starscapes

The post Circinus the Drawing Compass, Alpha Centauri’s neighbor first appeared on EarthSky.

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Circinus the Drawing Compass is shaped like a pair of tweezers. Chart via EarthSky.

Circinus the Drawing Compass is a dim constellation of the Southern Hemisphere. Its biggest claim to fame is that it’s located next to Alpha Centauri, the third brightest star in our sky and closest star system to Earth.

Both Circinus and Alpha Centauri lie near the south celestial pole. And so, from the Southern Hemisphere, Circinus never sets. It’s circumpolar, meaning its visible throughout the night all year round in the southern sky.

Circinus is one of the 14 constellations that Nicolas-Louis de Lacaille named in the 18th century. He named it after a drafting tool, the drawing compass.

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How to find Circinus

Circinus may be dim, with only one star brighter than magnitude 4, but the presence of Alpha Centauri next door makes it easy to find. As the third-brightest star in the sky, Alpha Centauri is easy to find. This magnitude -0.27 star is so far south that to even get a glimpse of it from the Northern Hemisphere, you have to be south of 29 degrees north latitude. Of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, you just have to look up.

On the opposite side of Circinus from Alpha Centauri is Triangulum Australe, the Southern Triangle. Indeed, Triangulum Australe does resemble a triangle, with its brightest corner star farthest from Circinus.

Stars and star clusters in the Drawing Compass

Circinus’ brightest star, Alpha Circini, is magnitude 3.19 and lies 53 light-years away. And its second brightest star, Beta Circini, lies 7 1/2 degrees from Alpha and shines at magnitude 4.07. It’s 97 light-years from Earth.

Circinus’ best open cluster is NGC 5823. This cluster is magnitude 7.9. Also, about 3 1/2 degrees away is another cluster for telescope observers, NGC 5715, at magnitude 10.

Circinus lies along the Milky Way, which makes it a rich hunting ground for simply scanning with a telescope and seeing what pops up.

Circinus the Drawing Compass is a constellation best seen from southern skies. The dim constellation lies near the bright star Alpha Centauri. Image via IAU/ Sky and Telescope/ Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0).

Bottom line: Circinus the Drawing Compass is a dim constellation located next to the third brightest star in the sky, Alpha Centauri.

Read more: Meet Crux, the constellation of the Southern Cross

Read more: Glowworms turn cave ceilings into underground starscapes

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Puffiest exoplanets yet found are as dense as cotton candy

View larger. | Artist’s concept of the 2 “super-puff” planets, TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c. They are the puffiest exoplanets ever found so far, with densities like cotton candy. Image via NASA/ Daniel Rutter/ University of Oxford.

• Astronomers have discovered two more “super-puff” exoplanets, both 1,113 light-years from Earth.
• The planets, TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, are close to the size of Jupiter. But their densities are like that of cotton candy.
• These unusual worlds are the puffiest exoplanets astronomers have yet found.

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Support EarthSky in 2026 and help us keep it going strong.

Puffiest exoplanets found so far

Just like those in our solar system, planets orbiting other stars come in a wide range of sizes and masses. You might expect the largest planets to also be the most massive … but that’s not always the case.

On June 26, 2026, an international team of researchers led by the University of Oxford in the U.K. said that they have discovered two new “super-puff” planets, TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c. These planets are giants, similar in size to Jupiter, but their masses are very low. In fact, their densities are similar to that of cotton candy!

The researchers used data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission to make the discovery. Astronomers first identified TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c as candidate planets in 2019 and 2023 respectively.

Astronomers have found similar puffy planets before, but these new ones are the lightest.

The researchers published their peer-reviewed findings in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on June 25, 2026.

Cotton candy worlds

These planets are unlike any in our solar system. Even though they are about the same size as Jupiter, they are much less dense. More specifically, TOI-791 b is nearly the same size as Jupiter but has just 3.0% of Jupiter’s mass. TOI-791 c is a bit larger than Jupiter but contains just 5.9% of Jupiter’s mass. Their densities are similar to cotton candy, which typically has a density of about 3 pounds per cubic foot (0.05 grams per cubic centimeter).

The planets orbit the sun-like star TOI-791, which is 1,113 light-years from Earth.

How did the researchers find these intriguing worlds? TESS found them using the transit method. When the planets passed in front of their star, as seen from Earth, the light from the star dipped slightly in brightness. TESS recognized the dips as coming from transiting planets. And notably, the researchers weren’t even expecting to find them.

Jon Jenkins is the science lead for the Science Processing Operations Center at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. He explained:

The main reason these planets are interesting to study is that we didn’t expect to see them at all. They represent a puzzle for us to solve about how giant planets like Jupiter and the super-puffs form.

View larger. | Comparison of TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c with Earth and the gas and ice giants in our solar system. Image via NASA/ Daniel Rutter/ University of Oxford.

Unusual orbits

The two super-puffs also have odd orbits. TOI-791 b takes 139 days to complete an orbit and TOI-791 c takes 232 days. Planets on longer orbits require more telescopic observations to gather data. Overall, TESS gathered 1,122 days of observations over seven years.

Also, the two planets are locked together gravitationally. They alternate pulling on each other as they orbit their star. This affects when they transit the star. The researchers used those variations in timing to calculate the planets’ masses. And that’s how their super-low densities were determined.

Just a handful of super-puffs

Astronomers still only know of a few of these super-puff planets. The two new ones are just the latest. Plus, astronomers currently know of only four other planetary systems that have multiple super-puff planets. Lead author George Dransfield at Oxford University in the U.K. said:

Only a handful of these super-puffy planets are known, and it is even rarer to find two in the same system. Their extremely low densities make them fascinating targets for understanding how planetary systems form and evolve.

Amaury Triaud at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. and co-author of the study, said:

This system offers a unique laboratory for understanding how super-puff planets form and evolve. We propose to carry out space-based observations using the James Webb Space Telescope to assess if the puffy atmosphere contains carbon-, nitrogen-, and oxygen-bearing species, revealing new insight into how these unusual planets formed.

Tristan Guillot at the Université Côte d’Azur and another co-author of the study, added:

These multi-planetary systems are complex, with gravitational interactions between the planets that evolve over very long periods, tens of years or more. This discovery highlights the importance of continued international collaboration in astronomy. Bringing together observations from Antarctica, space telescopes and observatories across several continents was essential to revealing the true nature of these extraordinary planets.

George Dransfield at the University of Oxford in the U.K. is the lead author of the new study about super-puff planets. Image via University of Oxford.

Previous super-puffs

Astronomers have only found a handful of super-puff planets so far. One of them is WASP-107 b. In 2024, the researchers studied that one using the James Webb Space Telescope, plus previous data from the Hubble Space Telescope. It is 210 light-years away and about 3/4 the size of Jupiter but only 1/10 the mass.

Researchers found that it must be hotter on the inside, and have a more massive core, than previously thought. They also found surprisingly low levels of methane in its atmosphere, only about 1/1000 of the expected amount.

View larger. | Artist’s concept of WASP-107 b, another super-puff planet. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ Ralf Crawford (STScI).

Another planet, a hot Neptune, TIC365102760 b, is also puffy. Discovered in 2024, it is 1,840 light-years from Earth and is 6.2 times larger than our planet. And this one orbits a red giant star. It’s the smallest planet so far found orbiting a red giant. And somehow it survived when its original star began dying and expanded into a red giant.

View larger. | Artist’s concept of the hot Neptune exoplanet TIC365102760 b, nicknamed Phoenix. It orbits a red giant star and also has a puffy atmosphere. Image via Roberto Molar Candanosa/ Johns Hopkins University.

Bottom line: Astronomers have discovered the two puffiest exoplanets known so far. They are similar in size to Jupiter, but have the density of cotton candy.

Source: ASTEP confirmation of a pair of long-period Jupiter-sized planets with extremely low densities transiting TOI-791

Via University of Oxford

Via Astrobiology

Read more: Webb solves mystery of puffy exoplanet WASP-107 b

Read more: Phoenix exoplanet’s puffy atmosphere survives red giant star

The post Puffiest exoplanets yet found are as dense as cotton candy first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/jVRfWS8

View larger. | Artist’s concept of the 2 “super-puff” planets, TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c. They are the puffiest exoplanets ever found so far, with densities like cotton candy. Image via NASA/ Daniel Rutter/ University of Oxford.

• Astronomers have discovered two more “super-puff” exoplanets, both 1,113 light-years from Earth.
• The planets, TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c, are close to the size of Jupiter. But their densities are like that of cotton candy.
• These unusual worlds are the puffiest exoplanets astronomers have yet found.

We’ve never needed good science more than we do right now.
Support EarthSky in 2026 and help us keep it going strong.

Puffiest exoplanets found so far

Just like those in our solar system, planets orbiting other stars come in a wide range of sizes and masses. You might expect the largest planets to also be the most massive … but that’s not always the case.

On June 26, 2026, an international team of researchers led by the University of Oxford in the U.K. said that they have discovered two new “super-puff” planets, TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c. These planets are giants, similar in size to Jupiter, but their masses are very low. In fact, their densities are similar to that of cotton candy!

The researchers used data from NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) mission to make the discovery. Astronomers first identified TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c as candidate planets in 2019 and 2023 respectively.

Astronomers have found similar puffy planets before, but these new ones are the lightest.

The researchers published their peer-reviewed findings in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society on June 25, 2026.

Cotton candy worlds

These planets are unlike any in our solar system. Even though they are about the same size as Jupiter, they are much less dense. More specifically, TOI-791 b is nearly the same size as Jupiter but has just 3.0% of Jupiter’s mass. TOI-791 c is a bit larger than Jupiter but contains just 5.9% of Jupiter’s mass. Their densities are similar to cotton candy, which typically has a density of about 3 pounds per cubic foot (0.05 grams per cubic centimeter).

The planets orbit the sun-like star TOI-791, which is 1,113 light-years from Earth.

How did the researchers find these intriguing worlds? TESS found them using the transit method. When the planets passed in front of their star, as seen from Earth, the light from the star dipped slightly in brightness. TESS recognized the dips as coming from transiting planets. And notably, the researchers weren’t even expecting to find them.

Jon Jenkins is the science lead for the Science Processing Operations Center at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California. He explained:

The main reason these planets are interesting to study is that we didn’t expect to see them at all. They represent a puzzle for us to solve about how giant planets like Jupiter and the super-puffs form.

View larger. | Comparison of TOI-791 b and TOI-791 c with Earth and the gas and ice giants in our solar system. Image via NASA/ Daniel Rutter/ University of Oxford.

Unusual orbits

The two super-puffs also have odd orbits. TOI-791 b takes 139 days to complete an orbit and TOI-791 c takes 232 days. Planets on longer orbits require more telescopic observations to gather data. Overall, TESS gathered 1,122 days of observations over seven years.

Also, the two planets are locked together gravitationally. They alternate pulling on each other as they orbit their star. This affects when they transit the star. The researchers used those variations in timing to calculate the planets’ masses. And that’s how their super-low densities were determined.

Just a handful of super-puffs

Astronomers still only know of a few of these super-puff planets. The two new ones are just the latest. Plus, astronomers currently know of only four other planetary systems that have multiple super-puff planets. Lead author George Dransfield at Oxford University in the U.K. said:

Only a handful of these super-puffy planets are known, and it is even rarer to find two in the same system. Their extremely low densities make them fascinating targets for understanding how planetary systems form and evolve.

Amaury Triaud at the University of Birmingham in the U.K. and co-author of the study, said:

This system offers a unique laboratory for understanding how super-puff planets form and evolve. We propose to carry out space-based observations using the James Webb Space Telescope to assess if the puffy atmosphere contains carbon-, nitrogen-, and oxygen-bearing species, revealing new insight into how these unusual planets formed.

Tristan Guillot at the Université Côte d’Azur and another co-author of the study, added:

These multi-planetary systems are complex, with gravitational interactions between the planets that evolve over very long periods, tens of years or more. This discovery highlights the importance of continued international collaboration in astronomy. Bringing together observations from Antarctica, space telescopes and observatories across several continents was essential to revealing the true nature of these extraordinary planets.

George Dransfield at the University of Oxford in the U.K. is the lead author of the new study about super-puff planets. Image via University of Oxford.

Previous super-puffs

Astronomers have only found a handful of super-puff planets so far. One of them is WASP-107 b. In 2024, the researchers studied that one using the James Webb Space Telescope, plus previous data from the Hubble Space Telescope. It is 210 light-years away and about 3/4 the size of Jupiter but only 1/10 the mass.

Researchers found that it must be hotter on the inside, and have a more massive core, than previously thought. They also found surprisingly low levels of methane in its atmosphere, only about 1/1000 of the expected amount.

View larger. | Artist’s concept of WASP-107 b, another super-puff planet. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ Ralf Crawford (STScI).

Another planet, a hot Neptune, TIC365102760 b, is also puffy. Discovered in 2024, it is 1,840 light-years from Earth and is 6.2 times larger than our planet. And this one orbits a red giant star. It’s the smallest planet so far found orbiting a red giant. And somehow it survived when its original star began dying and expanded into a red giant.

View larger. | Artist’s concept of the hot Neptune exoplanet TIC365102760 b, nicknamed Phoenix. It orbits a red giant star and also has a puffy atmosphere. Image via Roberto Molar Candanosa/ Johns Hopkins University.

Bottom line: Astronomers have discovered the two puffiest exoplanets known so far. They are similar in size to Jupiter, but have the density of cotton candy.

Source: ASTEP confirmation of a pair of long-period Jupiter-sized planets with extremely low densities transiting TOI-791

Via University of Oxford

Via Astrobiology

Read more: Webb solves mystery of puffy exoplanet WASP-107 b

Read more: Phoenix exoplanet’s puffy atmosphere survives red giant star

The post Puffiest exoplanets yet found are as dense as cotton candy first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/jVRfWS8

How a planet survived the death of its sunlike star

Artist’s concept of the exoplanet WD 1856 b. It’s a gas giant, similar to Jupiter. A new study said the planet survived the death of its sunlike star billions of years ago. Now the planet orbits the remains of the star, a white dwarf, 50 times closer than Earth orbits the sun. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ Ralf Crawford (STScI).

EarthSky isn’t powered by billionaires. We’re powered by you. Support EarthSky’s 2026 Donation Campaign and help keep science accessible.

• A Jupiter-like exoplanet survived the death of its sunlike star, and now orbits the star’s white dwarf remnant 50 times closer than Earth orbits the sun.
• The planet shouldn’t have survived: when its star expanded into a red giant, anything this close should have been destroyed.
• New James Webb Space Telescope data reveal the planet actually migrated into its close orbit after the star died, and was heated by the white dwarf’s gravity along the way.

A survivor 50 times closer to its star than Earth

On July 1, 2026, NASA said the James Webb Space Telescope investigated a gas giant planet that not only survived the death of its sunlike star, but is also 50 times closer to its star than Earth is to the sun.

The planet in question (or exoplanet, as we call it when it orbits a star other than the sun) is named WD 1856 b, and it’s orbiting a white dwarf star. When the star was a red giant, it should have destroyed any nearby planet. But this gas giant exoplanet still orbits its star once every 34 hours from less than 2 million miles (3 million km or 0.02 astronomical units) away.

Someday, several billion years from now, our sun will expand into the last phase of its life when it becomes a red giant. When it does, it will engulf most of the inner planets in its swollen atmosphere. Eventually, all that will be left of the sun is its dense core: a white dwarf star. Will Earth survive? That’s still a matter of debate.

The researchers published their peer-reviewed study in the journal Nature on July 1, 2026.

How Webb investigated the surviving planet

To find out how a planet so close to its star could have survived the star’s red giant phase, a team of astronomers turned Webb on it. From the telescope’s point of view, the planet passes right in front of the star in what’s called a transit. During a transit, astronomers can get a look at the planet’s atmosphere. The team analyzed the atmosphere’s composition and measured its temperature.

Even though its star is now a slowly cooling white dwarf, the planet itself was warmer than astronomers expected. They determined its atmosphere was a toasty 260 degrees Fahrenheit (126 C). That’s hotter than it would be if the star were the sole source of heat.

The team also managed to discern a bit of the planetary atmosphere’s chemical composition. Co-author Victoria Boehm of Cornell University said:

We saw the telltale signatures of small cloud particles and hydrocarbons, most likely methane, which is the first time we have seen an atmosphere on a planet transiting a dead star.

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) originally discovered the planet orbiting the star in 2020. The pair are 80 light-years away. Interestingly, now that the star is in its white dwarf phase, the planet is much larger than the star. Lead author Ryan MacDonald of the University of St. Andrews in the U.K. said:

The planet is about the size of Jupiter, but the white dwarf it orbits is the size of Earth, so the planet is 7 times larger than its star.

How did this close planet survive?

The planet is simply too close to its star to have survived there during the red giant phase. So astronomers reasoned that it migrated into that position sometime after the red giant phase ended. Looking closer at the temperature of the planet helped them crack the case.

The white dwarf doesn’t provide enough heat to account for the temperature of the planet, so there must be internal heat from an earlier time. Co-author Christopher O’Connor of Northwestern University modeled the heat of the planet backward to determine how long it took it to cool down. This would help astronomers know how long ago the planet acquired its heat. What they really wanted to know is whether the planet heated up due to the red giant phase of its star or as a consequence of its journey closer to the star.

And the calculations showed the planet heated up between 3 and 5.5 billion years after the star became a white dwarf, which couldn’t have resulted from the red giant phase. Originally, the scientists said, the planet was far enough away from the star in its orbit that it didn’t heat up as the stellar atmosphere swelled. But, O’Connor said:

As the planet moved inward, its interactions with the strong gravity of the white dwarf will have caused it to warm up considerably, and it has been cooling ever since.

The James Webb Space Telescope was able to detect molecules in the exoplanet WD 1856 b’s atmosphere as it passed in front of, or transited, its star. Its star is a white dwarf, and only about the size of Earth. So when the planet passes in front of the star, it blocks more than half the star’s light. The red bars show the methane Webb detected. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ Joseph Olmsted (STScI).

What’s next for the surviving planet?

The exoplanet WD 1856 b will continue to slowly cool over the next few billion years. If there were any form of life on the planet, there’s no telling how it fared during the planet’s wild ride inward toward its star: first heating up as gravity took hold, then slowly cooling ever since.

Perhaps the future of Jupiter or one of the other gas giant planets in our solar system will resemble that of WD 1856 b. MacDonald said:

We’re used to looking back in time when we use telescopes, but this is the first time we have been able to look forward to what might happen to the outer planets around the remnant of a sunlike star. It’s like using a time machine to peer into the distant future of our solar system.

Bottom line: A Jupiter-like exoplanet survived the death of its sunlike star and now orbits the star’s white dwarf remnant 50 times closer than Earth orbits the sun. New Webb data show the planet migrated inward after the star’s death, rather than surviving its scorching red giant phase in place.

Source: Aerosols and hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of a white dwarf planet

Via NASA

The post How a planet survived the death of its sunlike star first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/whCWfRd

Artist’s concept of the exoplanet WD 1856 b. It’s a gas giant, similar to Jupiter. A new study said the planet survived the death of its sunlike star billions of years ago. Now the planet orbits the remains of the star, a white dwarf, 50 times closer than Earth orbits the sun. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ Ralf Crawford (STScI).

EarthSky isn’t powered by billionaires. We’re powered by you. Support EarthSky’s 2026 Donation Campaign and help keep science accessible.

• A Jupiter-like exoplanet survived the death of its sunlike star, and now orbits the star’s white dwarf remnant 50 times closer than Earth orbits the sun.
• The planet shouldn’t have survived: when its star expanded into a red giant, anything this close should have been destroyed.
• New James Webb Space Telescope data reveal the planet actually migrated into its close orbit after the star died, and was heated by the white dwarf’s gravity along the way.

A survivor 50 times closer to its star than Earth

On July 1, 2026, NASA said the James Webb Space Telescope investigated a gas giant planet that not only survived the death of its sunlike star, but is also 50 times closer to its star than Earth is to the sun.

The planet in question (or exoplanet, as we call it when it orbits a star other than the sun) is named WD 1856 b, and it’s orbiting a white dwarf star. When the star was a red giant, it should have destroyed any nearby planet. But this gas giant exoplanet still orbits its star once every 34 hours from less than 2 million miles (3 million km or 0.02 astronomical units) away.

Someday, several billion years from now, our sun will expand into the last phase of its life when it becomes a red giant. When it does, it will engulf most of the inner planets in its swollen atmosphere. Eventually, all that will be left of the sun is its dense core: a white dwarf star. Will Earth survive? That’s still a matter of debate.

The researchers published their peer-reviewed study in the journal Nature on July 1, 2026.

How Webb investigated the surviving planet

To find out how a planet so close to its star could have survived the star’s red giant phase, a team of astronomers turned Webb on it. From the telescope’s point of view, the planet passes right in front of the star in what’s called a transit. During a transit, astronomers can get a look at the planet’s atmosphere. The team analyzed the atmosphere’s composition and measured its temperature.

Even though its star is now a slowly cooling white dwarf, the planet itself was warmer than astronomers expected. They determined its atmosphere was a toasty 260 degrees Fahrenheit (126 C). That’s hotter than it would be if the star were the sole source of heat.

The team also managed to discern a bit of the planetary atmosphere’s chemical composition. Co-author Victoria Boehm of Cornell University said:

We saw the telltale signatures of small cloud particles and hydrocarbons, most likely methane, which is the first time we have seen an atmosphere on a planet transiting a dead star.

NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) originally discovered the planet orbiting the star in 2020. The pair are 80 light-years away. Interestingly, now that the star is in its white dwarf phase, the planet is much larger than the star. Lead author Ryan MacDonald of the University of St. Andrews in the U.K. said:

The planet is about the size of Jupiter, but the white dwarf it orbits is the size of Earth, so the planet is 7 times larger than its star.

How did this close planet survive?

The planet is simply too close to its star to have survived there during the red giant phase. So astronomers reasoned that it migrated into that position sometime after the red giant phase ended. Looking closer at the temperature of the planet helped them crack the case.

The white dwarf doesn’t provide enough heat to account for the temperature of the planet, so there must be internal heat from an earlier time. Co-author Christopher O’Connor of Northwestern University modeled the heat of the planet backward to determine how long it took it to cool down. This would help astronomers know how long ago the planet acquired its heat. What they really wanted to know is whether the planet heated up due to the red giant phase of its star or as a consequence of its journey closer to the star.

And the calculations showed the planet heated up between 3 and 5.5 billion years after the star became a white dwarf, which couldn’t have resulted from the red giant phase. Originally, the scientists said, the planet was far enough away from the star in its orbit that it didn’t heat up as the stellar atmosphere swelled. But, O’Connor said:

As the planet moved inward, its interactions with the strong gravity of the white dwarf will have caused it to warm up considerably, and it has been cooling ever since.

The James Webb Space Telescope was able to detect molecules in the exoplanet WD 1856 b’s atmosphere as it passed in front of, or transited, its star. Its star is a white dwarf, and only about the size of Earth. So when the planet passes in front of the star, it blocks more than half the star’s light. The red bars show the methane Webb detected. Image via NASA/ ESA/ CSA/ Joseph Olmsted (STScI).

What’s next for the surviving planet?

The exoplanet WD 1856 b will continue to slowly cool over the next few billion years. If there were any form of life on the planet, there’s no telling how it fared during the planet’s wild ride inward toward its star: first heating up as gravity took hold, then slowly cooling ever since.

Perhaps the future of Jupiter or one of the other gas giant planets in our solar system will resemble that of WD 1856 b. MacDonald said:

We’re used to looking back in time when we use telescopes, but this is the first time we have been able to look forward to what might happen to the outer planets around the remnant of a sunlike star. It’s like using a time machine to peer into the distant future of our solar system.

Bottom line: A Jupiter-like exoplanet survived the death of its sunlike star and now orbits the star’s white dwarf remnant 50 times closer than Earth orbits the sun. New Webb data show the planet migrated inward after the star’s death, rather than surviving its scorching red giant phase in place.

Source: Aerosols and hydrocarbons in the atmosphere of a white dwarf planet

Via NASA

The post How a planet survived the death of its sunlike star first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/whCWfRd

Happy 90th birthday to Guy Ottewell, chart-maker of the night sky

Guy Ottewell is a poet and artist, as well as a master astronomy chart-maker. Here’s one of his illustrations. It shows the asterism – or noticeable star pattern – known as the Northern Cross in the night sky. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

The man behind the yearly Astronomical Calendar

Beloved British astronomer Guy Ottewell turns 90 on July 4, 2026. EarthSky wishes him a warm congrats on completing another trip around the sun. Guy Ottewell is best known worldwide for his beautiful astronomy charts and hand-illustrated yearly Astronomical Calendar, of which 2026 will be the final year. Virtually every astronomy educator knows Guy’s calendar and employs it in teaching about the night sky and outer space. Millions have benefited from Ottewell’s unique view of outer space.

Ottewell’s Astronomical Calendar was popular as a printed book from 1974 to 2016. Thousands of sky-lovers in more than 100 countries purchased it. It took a hiatus beginning in 2017, but returned in 2023, in both printed and electronic formats. 2026 is the final year of Guy Ottewell’s Astronomical Calendar.

And if you’re a regular reader of EarthSky, you’ll have seen many of his charts in our sky guide and more over the years.

View Guy’s publications page. Many of his publications are still available for sale, either here or on sites such as eBay.

2026 chart showing the evening apparition of the brightest planet, Venus, by Guy Ottewell. This chart shows Venus from the Southern Hemisphere; the Northern Hemisphere path is similar, but the planet doesn’t get as high in the sky. Planet images are at the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month. The changing phase of Venus requires a telescope to see. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.

Guy Ottewell: A well-traveled educator

Guy Ottewell spent his childhood in Warwickshire, in the UK’s West Midlands, and his adolescence in Surrey, southeast of London. He did army service in Libya and hitchhiked home from there via Greece, Yugoslavia, Venice, Holland. He said:

I had done well enough at school in Greek and Latin to earn a scholarship to Cambridge, but, while there, studied Arabic, Persian, archaeology and anthropology. On vacations, I made hitchhiking journeys to Switzerland (to work in a theater), Morocco, and Iran and Afghanistan (returning from there via central Asia and Finland).

My first extended job was at a school in Arab Jerusalem, living there with my late wife Barbara. At Manchester University, and then at UCLA, I cataloged their libraries’ books in Middle Eastern languages. While at Manchester, I was encouraged to make a study of modern Hebrew, and traveled around Israel, once living in a kibbutz. For two years, I was a teacher at a native American “demonstration” school in the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Open-air camping during my travels had inspired me to know the stars, but it was at the Navajo school that I first had use of a telescope. And I collected Navajo star lore.

Then my wife was asked to start a Montessori school at Greenville, South Carolina, so we moved. Being ready to turn from astronomy to another side of nature – plants – I grew 80 kinds of vegetables and made botanical drawings.

But I was asked by Professor Bill Brantley, of the Physics Department at Furman University, to show the stars to students. This led to his suggestion of an astronomical yearbook that the Physics department could publish. This later became the yearly Astronomical Calendar. It turned out to meet a need, and I had to teach myself trigonometry and computer programming.

The early publishing imprint Astronomical Workshop – under which the Calendar and other works were initially released – had to become Universal Workshop when I took to the printer a book about human rights. I then added publications in some of my other fields of interest – history, fiction, poetry. Though not an employee of the university, I had the use of storage space and an office for fulfilling orders.

In 2001, I moved to England with my wife, Tilly, a journalist, and continued to publish the Astronomical Calendar.

My more recent journeys have been to see solar eclipses in Canada, Kenya, Java, Mexico, West Texas, India, Mongolia, the Caribbean, Turkey, Australia; to Peru at the time of Halley’s Comet; and long cycle rides in Italy, Turkey, Greece and India.

Guy’s artistic talents extend beyond his scientific illustrations, as demonstrated by this self-portrait.

Self-portrait by Guy Ottewell. Over the course of his lifetime, he has been an inveterate hiker and bike rider. Find his tips for traveling with your bicycle here.

View Guy Ottewell’s blog posts and charts at EarthSky

Ottewell routinely blogs at his website, Universal Workshop. And, in recent years, many of his blog posts have been reprinted at EarthSky.org.

At least through the end of 2026, you can also find his charts at EarthSky’s most popular post, our visible planet and night sky guide. EarthSky founder Deborah Byrd described Guy’s contributions to astronomy this way:

Through his own efforts, unaffiliated with any large organization, Guy has conveyed astronomy to millions of people since 1974. That’s when he published the original edition of his yearly Astronomical Calendar. He has published it since then, and it has become one of the most beloved resources in astronomy.

2026 chart showing the path of Comet Encke relative to the ecliptic plane (Earth-sun plane). Comets’ paths are drawn as thicker when brighter. Ticks mark the start of days 1, 11 and 21 of each month. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.

A view of Earth from space showing the timing and path of the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.

A sample of Guy Ottewell’s star charts. This one shows stars within 12 light-years of our sun. The lines on the grid are 4 light-years apart. Imaginary stalks from the plane to the stars show how far north or south they are. Proxima Centauri is part of the triple star system we see as the single star Alpha Centauri. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

A voice that inspired generations of skywatchers

EarthSky’s John Jardine Goss, who is also a former president of the Astronomical League, shared his insight on Guy:

All his works – which include a number of topical, in-depth books and beautiful wall posters – have inspired curious skywatchers and amateur astronomers to see more, and to learn more while they pursue the fascinating field of astronomy.

The late Alan Hale, co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp, said this about Ottewell:

In addition to his astronomical writings and publications, Guy Ottewell has also engaged in numerous humanitarian efforts, and these infuse his writings. In so doing he is not only providing informational and educational benefits to his readers but is also demonstrating that the solar system and the universe within which we live are part of the common heritage of humanity.

And Joe Patterson, professor of astronomy at Columbia University, summed up our feelings at EarthSky when he said:

There’s nobody in Ottewell’s class.

Bottom line: Longtime astronomy educator Guy Ottewell turns 90 on July 4, 2026. Guy is best known for his beautiful astronomy charts and hand-illustrated yearly Astronomical Calendar.

The post Happy 90th birthday to Guy Ottewell, chart-maker of the night sky first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/uGvNh5c

Guy Ottewell is a poet and artist, as well as a master astronomy chart-maker. Here’s one of his illustrations. It shows the asterism – or noticeable star pattern – known as the Northern Cross in the night sky. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

The man behind the yearly Astronomical Calendar

Beloved British astronomer Guy Ottewell turns 90 on July 4, 2026. EarthSky wishes him a warm congrats on completing another trip around the sun. Guy Ottewell is best known worldwide for his beautiful astronomy charts and hand-illustrated yearly Astronomical Calendar, of which 2026 will be the final year. Virtually every astronomy educator knows Guy’s calendar and employs it in teaching about the night sky and outer space. Millions have benefited from Ottewell’s unique view of outer space.

Ottewell’s Astronomical Calendar was popular as a printed book from 1974 to 2016. Thousands of sky-lovers in more than 100 countries purchased it. It took a hiatus beginning in 2017, but returned in 2023, in both printed and electronic formats. 2026 is the final year of Guy Ottewell’s Astronomical Calendar.

And if you’re a regular reader of EarthSky, you’ll have seen many of his charts in our sky guide and more over the years.

View Guy’s publications page. Many of his publications are still available for sale, either here or on sites such as eBay.

2026 chart showing the evening apparition of the brightest planet, Venus, by Guy Ottewell. This chart shows Venus from the Southern Hemisphere; the Northern Hemisphere path is similar, but the planet doesn’t get as high in the sky. Planet images are at the 1st, 11th, and 21st of each month. The changing phase of Venus requires a telescope to see. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.

Guy Ottewell: A well-traveled educator

Guy Ottewell spent his childhood in Warwickshire, in the UK’s West Midlands, and his adolescence in Surrey, southeast of London. He did army service in Libya and hitchhiked home from there via Greece, Yugoslavia, Venice, Holland. He said:

I had done well enough at school in Greek and Latin to earn a scholarship to Cambridge, but, while there, studied Arabic, Persian, archaeology and anthropology. On vacations, I made hitchhiking journeys to Switzerland (to work in a theater), Morocco, and Iran and Afghanistan (returning from there via central Asia and Finland).

My first extended job was at a school in Arab Jerusalem, living there with my late wife Barbara. At Manchester University, and then at UCLA, I cataloged their libraries’ books in Middle Eastern languages. While at Manchester, I was encouraged to make a study of modern Hebrew, and traveled around Israel, once living in a kibbutz. For two years, I was a teacher at a native American “demonstration” school in the Navajo reservation in Arizona. Open-air camping during my travels had inspired me to know the stars, but it was at the Navajo school that I first had use of a telescope. And I collected Navajo star lore.

Then my wife was asked to start a Montessori school at Greenville, South Carolina, so we moved. Being ready to turn from astronomy to another side of nature – plants – I grew 80 kinds of vegetables and made botanical drawings.

But I was asked by Professor Bill Brantley, of the Physics Department at Furman University, to show the stars to students. This led to his suggestion of an astronomical yearbook that the Physics department could publish. This later became the yearly Astronomical Calendar. It turned out to meet a need, and I had to teach myself trigonometry and computer programming.

The early publishing imprint Astronomical Workshop – under which the Calendar and other works were initially released – had to become Universal Workshop when I took to the printer a book about human rights. I then added publications in some of my other fields of interest – history, fiction, poetry. Though not an employee of the university, I had the use of storage space and an office for fulfilling orders.

In 2001, I moved to England with my wife, Tilly, a journalist, and continued to publish the Astronomical Calendar.

My more recent journeys have been to see solar eclipses in Canada, Kenya, Java, Mexico, West Texas, India, Mongolia, the Caribbean, Turkey, Australia; to Peru at the time of Halley’s Comet; and long cycle rides in Italy, Turkey, Greece and India.

Guy’s artistic talents extend beyond his scientific illustrations, as demonstrated by this self-portrait.

Self-portrait by Guy Ottewell. Over the course of his lifetime, he has been an inveterate hiker and bike rider. Find his tips for traveling with your bicycle here.

View Guy Ottewell’s blog posts and charts at EarthSky

Ottewell routinely blogs at his website, Universal Workshop. And, in recent years, many of his blog posts have been reprinted at EarthSky.org.

At least through the end of 2026, you can also find his charts at EarthSky’s most popular post, our visible planet and night sky guide. EarthSky founder Deborah Byrd described Guy’s contributions to astronomy this way:

Through his own efforts, unaffiliated with any large organization, Guy has conveyed astronomy to millions of people since 1974. That’s when he published the original edition of his yearly Astronomical Calendar. He has published it since then, and it has become one of the most beloved resources in astronomy.

2026 chart showing the path of Comet Encke relative to the ecliptic plane (Earth-sun plane). Comets’ paths are drawn as thicker when brighter. Ticks mark the start of days 1, 11 and 21 of each month. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.

A view of Earth from space showing the timing and path of the total solar eclipse on August 12, 2026. Chart via Guy Ottewell’s 2026 Astronomical Calendar. Used with permission.

A sample of Guy Ottewell’s star charts. This one shows stars within 12 light-years of our sun. The lines on the grid are 4 light-years apart. Imaginary stalks from the plane to the stars show how far north or south they are. Proxima Centauri is part of the triple star system we see as the single star Alpha Centauri. Image via Guy Ottewell. Used with permission.

A voice that inspired generations of skywatchers

EarthSky’s John Jardine Goss, who is also a former president of the Astronomical League, shared his insight on Guy:

All his works – which include a number of topical, in-depth books and beautiful wall posters – have inspired curious skywatchers and amateur astronomers to see more, and to learn more while they pursue the fascinating field of astronomy.

The late Alan Hale, co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp, said this about Ottewell:

In addition to his astronomical writings and publications, Guy Ottewell has also engaged in numerous humanitarian efforts, and these infuse his writings. In so doing he is not only providing informational and educational benefits to his readers but is also demonstrating that the solar system and the universe within which we live are part of the common heritage of humanity.

And Joe Patterson, professor of astronomy at Columbia University, summed up our feelings at EarthSky when he said:

There’s nobody in Ottewell’s class.

Bottom line: Longtime astronomy educator Guy Ottewell turns 90 on July 4, 2026. Guy is best known for his beautiful astronomy charts and hand-illustrated yearly Astronomical Calendar.

The post Happy 90th birthday to Guy Ottewell, chart-maker of the night sky first appeared on EarthSky.

from EarthSky https://ift.tt/uGvNh5c