Once found, the microlensing measurements would help in determining a number of properties, such as the planet’s mass and distance, how it sits in relation to its star, and its galactic position. In ...

Astronomers have, for the first time, found a planet orbiting a binary star system using microlensing. Gravitational lensing is a technique that made its name by aiding in the discovery of galaxies.

The abundance of low-mass compact objects, at or below the hydrogen-burning mass limit of 0.08M ⊙ (where M ⊙ is the solar mass), remains an open question. This abundance has implications for such ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. Since 1995 scientists have found more than 5,000 exoplanets ...

Gravitational microlensing is a transient but powerful phenomenon that occurs when a foreground mass – such as a star or a planetary system – temporarily magnifies the light from a more distant ...

To Hannaleigh Scott, it looked like someone had spilled salt all over a dark tablecloth - just the way any starry night might appear to a casual observer. But this was no ordinary star census. And one ...

In exoplanet hunting today, there seems to be one burning question that nearly every new article published asks: Where did these planets come from? As astronomers discovered the first extrasolar ...

Some galaxies pump out vast amounts of energy from a very small volume of space, typically not much bigger than our own solar system. The cores of these galaxies, so called Active Galactic Nuclei or ...

Astrophysicists have discovered for the first time a population of planets beyond the Milky Way galaxy. Using microlensing -- an astronomical phenomenon and the only known method capable of ...

Scientists have discovered a new planet with the mass of Earth, orbiting its star at the same distance that we orbit our sun. The planet is likely far too cold to be habitable for life as we know it, ...