Whenever I tell people I’ve discovered a new exoplanet, invariably the first question is: "Could we live there?" In some cases, it’s very easy to answer with an outright "No". Gas giants orbiting very ...

For generations, artists and science-fiction writers have imagined alien landscapes beneath twin sunsets. The image became iconic in popular culture long before astronomers confirmed that planets ...

A recently discovered "super Earth" located around 25 light-years from our planet is not as massive as previously thought, ...

If you were hoping we’d find alien life hanging out on a cozy, pint-sized planet anytime soon, then you should know that ...

Scientists say moons around rogue planets wandering through the galaxy could remain warm enough for life thanks to tidal heating and hydrogen-rich atmospheres. These dark, starless worlds may have had ...

There is no chance in hell our species will be able to reach another Earth-like planet in the Universe in the foreseeable future, so the only way we can get a sense of the habitability of such places ...

EVEN as a cash-strapped NASA shelves plans for a costly mission to hunt for Earth-like planets, a novel scheme has emerged that promises to achieve the same goal for a fraction of the cost. Called New ...