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Media Information Media inquiries regarding the missions, science or technology covered in this Web site should be directed to Jane Platt, media relations specialist. (818) 354-0880
New space telescope unveils planet-forming disc (December 18, 2003) NASA's latest orbiting observatory, the Spitzer Space Telescope, has obtained the first infrared images of the massive dust disc surrounding the nearby star Fomalhaut. Such debris discs are the leftover material from the building of a planetary system.
NASA recruits amateurs to form 'Night Sky Network' (December 8, 2003) Are you an amateur astronomer engaged in public outreach? If so, NASA wants you. The U.S. space agency has partnered with the Astronomical Society of the Pacific to create the "Night Sky Network," a coalition of amateur astronomy clubs who will bring the wonders of the universe to the public.
New evidence for planetary system around Vega (November 19, 2003) One of the brightest stars in the night sky may be home to planetary system similar to ours, according to new research. Computer models of the structure of a faint dust disc around the star Vega suggests the presence of a Neptune-size planet orbiting at a similar distance to Neptune in our own solar system.
Largest 'eyes' ever built to aid search for planets (November 19, 2003) Fully assembled, the Large Binocular Telescope resembles a face, gazing skyward with a pair of enormous saucer eyes. That visual impression isn't too far off the mark: Its sharper vision will enable astronomers to carry out a broad range of unprecedented astronomical observations, including some of the first direct observations of giant planets around other stars.
Astronomers uncover evidence of new planet being born (November 12, 2003) University of Arizona astronomers have used a new technique called nulling interferometry to probe a dust disk around a young nearby star for the first time. They not only confirmed that the young star does have a protoplanetary disk -- the stuff from which solar systems are born -- but discovered a gap in the disk, which is strong evidence of a forming planet. (External press release)
Huge mirror arrives for planet-finding telescope (October 31, 2003) The first of two huge primary mirrors for the Large Binocular Telescope have arrived on site in Arizona, marking an important milestone in the construction of a ground-based instrument that will be powerful enough to obtain some of the first images of planets around other stars.
New space telescope focuses its vision (October 15, 2003) The Space Infrared Telescope Facility (SIRTF), NASA's fourth and final Great Observatory, has been successfully focused. This crucial milestone will enable the observatory to study discs of dusts where planets may be forming, along with other science objectives. (External press release)
A Galaxy far, far away eyed by linked Hawaiian telescopes (October 1, 2003) A galaxy far beyond our own Milky Way, with a monstrous, churning black hole in its center, has been observed by two optical telescopes working in unison as an interferometer. These observations reveal the finest level of detail in a galaxy ever produced at infrared wavelengths.
Study: Stars rich in metals tend to harbor planets (September 10, 2003) A comparison of 754 nearby stars like our Sun shows definitively that the more iron and other metals there are in a star, the greater the chance it has a companion planet. (External press release)
'First light' for new space telescope (September 3, 2003) NASA's Space Infrared Telescope Facility has switched on two of its onboard instruments and captured some preliminary star-studded images. (External press release)
A tour of planetary systems in the night sky (August 19, 2003) Did you know that when you walk outside and look up on a clear night, some of the stars you see with your naked eye are circled by planets? Our sky guide for August will help you pinpoint some of these distant worlds.
"Winking" star may provide insight on planet formation (August 7, 2003) A study of archival images of a star that undergoes a regular, long-lasting eclipse every 48 days has revealed that this "winking" began only a few decades ago. If the eclipses are caused by material in a protoplanetary disk, as suspected, the finding could give astronomers the opportunity to study planet formation on surprisingly short time scales. (External press release)
Tiny Measurement Gives Big Boost to Planet Hunt (July 22, 2003) On the trail of another Earth, JPL engineers have taken the smallest measurements ever. This feat will help an upcoming mission search for Earthlike planets around other stars. (External press release)
Hubble helps confirm oldest known planet (July 10, 2003) Astronomers using data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have precisely measured the mass of a planet with an estimated age of 13 billion years. That's more than twice as old as the Earth, and the discovery provides tantalizing evidence that the first planets formed rapidly, leading astronomers to conclude that planets may be abundant in our galaxy. (External press release)
Keck Interferometer team announces first discovery (July 10, 2003) Astronomers have observed a young star ringed by a swirling disc that may spin off planets, marking the first published science observation using two linked 10-meter (33- foot) telescopes in Hawaii.
Newly discovered planet system resembles our own (July 3, 2003) Astronomers looking for planetary systems that resemble our own solar system have found the most similar formation so far. The new planet is similar to Jupiter and orbits a nearby star that is very like our own Sun. (External press release)
Astronomers detect 7 new planets around other stars (June 30, 2003) European astronomers this week announced the discovery of seven new planets orbiting other stars, bringing to 115 the total number of known extrasolar planets. Six of the new planets circle stars not previously known to harbor planets, while the seventh orbits a star where another planet had been detected earlier.
A new look at planetary birthplaces (May 26, 2003) A new look at planetary birthplaces (May 26) - Data from NASA's spaceborne Chandra X-ray Observatory are giving astronomers new insights into the process of planet formation. The observations suggest that disks of dust and gas around young stars can evolve rapidly to form planets, or they can be disrupted by close encounters with other stars.
European team discovers a "hot jupiter" (April 14, 2003) A planetary companion has been detected circling the star HD 73256, bringing to 106 the total number of planets thus far discovered orbiting stars other than our Sun. The planet is one of a class known as "hot jupiters" -- gas giants located in tight orbits extremely close to their parent stars.
Leading planet-finder predicts discovery of another "Earth" within decade (April 7, 2003) Astronomers have been discovering large planets around other stars by the dozen in recent years, but are there really any other places that look like Earth out there? In a recent interview, planet-hunter extraordinaire Geoff Marcy said the answer may be closer than you think.
Interferometer data complete "family portrait" of Alpha Centauri (March 20, 2003) Observations with Europe's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) have provided the first-ever direct measurement of the diameters of the nearby Sun-like stars Alpha Centauri A and Alpha Centauri B. Although the Centauri system is not known to harbor extrasolar planets, the finding demonstrates the potential of interferometers (multiple telescopes acting as one) to someday study Earth-like planets around other stars.
Hubble detects evaporating planet (March 12, 2003) The atmosphere surrounding a planet slightly larger than Jupiter is apparently being seared into space from the intense heat of its parent star, astronomers said Wednesday.
Radio telescope to study formation of new planets (February 26, 2003) The European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) signed a historic agreement Tuesday to construct and operate the world's largest and most powerful radio telescope. The science goals of the new instrument include the study of planets forming around young stars in our galaxy.
Images reveal tightly orbiting brown dwarf (February 18, 2003) Researchers at the University of Arizona have released new images of the tightest-orbiting brown dwarf ever observed. A brown dwarf is a would-be star that is too small to ignite, resulting in an object that is neither a star nor a planet, but resides somewhere in between.
Amateur wins chance to hunt for new worlds (February 5, 2003) Amateur astronomer Walter Cruttenden of Newport Beach, California, will join professional astronomer Geoff Marcy later this year in the control room of the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii as Marcy and his colleagues hunt for extrasolar planets. Cruttenden won the opportunity by submitting the winning bid of $16,000 in a fundraising auction conducted by the Astronomical Society of the Pacific on eBay.
Seeking the keys to the stellar kingdom (January 27, 2003) How big is the biggest star? How small is the smallest star? These may sound like fundamental questions, but throughout history, astronomers have found the answers frustratingly elusive. NASA's Space Interferometry Mission will help get closure on the matter.
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