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First exoplanet image from James Webb Space Telescope revealed

Astronomers from the University of Exeter have led the effort to capture the first-ever direct image of an exoplanet using the pioneering James Webb Space Telescope.

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Scientists unravel mysteries of exoplanet atmosphere

Scientists using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have secured a major breakthrough in the quest to unravel the mysteries of the atmospheres of distant planets – a molecular and chemical profile of the exoplanet WASP-39b. 

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Hubble detects exotic water cycle and metal clouds in a hot Jupiter exoplanet atmosphere

Scientists have explored the nightside hemisphere of an enormous planet, far outside our solar system for the first time – revealing metal clouds and rain made of liquid gems. 

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Budding space enthusiasts can become "Exoplanet Explorers" in new online game

Aspiring astronomers and budding young space enthusiasts are set to be given a unique opportunity to hunt for distant planets far outside our solar system, thanks to a cutting-edge, interactive new online game.

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Mystery behind the “Great Dimming” of the Betelgeuse star solved

The quest to discover what lay behind the “great dimming” of the aging star Betelgeuse, normally one of the brightest stars on the night sky, has taken a new, fascinating twist. 

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Star’s death will play a mean pinball with rhythmic planets

Four planets locked in a perfect rhythm around a nearby star are destined to be pinballed around their solar system when their sun eventually dies, according to a new study that peers into its future. 

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University of Exeter student awarded grant to study exoplanet climates

University of Exeter astrophysics student Mei Ting Mak has been awarded one of this year’s prestigious grants from the Bell Burnell Graduate Scholarship Fund. 

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The science of spin - older stars rotate faster than expected

Stars spin faster than expected as they age, according to a new study - which uses asteroseismology to shed new light on this emerging theory

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University of Exeter joins Europe’s largest astronomy network

The University of Exeter is joining Europe’s largest, ground-based astronomy collaborative network, it has been announced. 

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Stargazers given once in-a-lifetime opportunity to see ‘Great Conjunction’ of Saturn and Jupiter

Budding astronomers will be given a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to witness a truly special celestial event in the run-in to Christmas.

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ERC-funded project to explore the origin of diversity in star and planetary systems

One of the University of Exeter’s most distinguished astrophysics researchers has received a significant funding boost from the European Research Council (ERC), it has been announced.

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Astronomy expert secure prestigious national fellowship

One of the University of Exeter’s most prominent astrophysics experts has received a prestigious national fellowship, it has been announced.

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Scientists discover a warped disc “torn apart by stars” in a triple Tatooine-like system

Pioneering new research has revealed the first direct evidence that groups of stars can tear apart their planet-forming disc, leaving it warped and with tilted rings.

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Exeter Astrophysics expert awarded prestigious international prize

Professor Isabelle Baraffe, a leading expert in astrophysics research, has been awarded a prestigious international science prize.

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First measurement of spin-orbit alignment on planet Beta Pictoris b

Astronomers have made the first measurement of spin-orbit alignment for a distant ‘super-Jupiter’ planet.

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Presence of airborne dust could signify increased habitability of distant planets, research shows

Scientists have expanded our understanding of potentially habitable planets orbiting distant stars by including a critical climate component – the presence of airborne dust.

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Pioneering new ‘smart needle’ could revolutionise cancer diagnosis

Scientists have developed a pioneering new technique that can detect and diagnose one of the most common types of cancer within seconds - using light.

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Pupils given ‘out of this world’ virtual tour of exoplanets

Schoolchildren are being given an ‘out of this world’ opportunity to explore distant worlds discovered and studied by astronomers and climate scientists– all from the comfort of their classroom.

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Exeter experts awarded prestigious Institute of Physics medals

Two physicists from the University of Exeter have received prestigious national awards in recognition of their long-standing, pioneering research.

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Funding boosts Exeter’s research into the building blocks of galaxies

An Astrophysics expert from the University of Exeter has been awarded substantial funding to help solve one the most fundamental riddles of modern astronomy.

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Pioneering infrared imager gives sharpest-ever view of stars and planet-forming discs

A pioneering new instrument could give astronomers a glimpse into how the solar system looked more than 4.5 billion years ago.

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Newly discovered adolescent star seen undergoing ‘growth spurt’

Astronomers have discovered a young star undergoing a rare growth spurt – giving a fascinating glimpse into the development of these distant stellar objects.

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Scientists take first tentative steps to explore potential climate of Proxima B

The quest to discover whether a planet orbiting our closest neighbouring star, Proxima Centauri, has the potential to support life has taken a new, exhilarating twist.

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Primitive atmosphere discovered around ‘Warm Neptune’

A pioneering new study uncovering the ‘primitive atmosphere’ surrounding a distant world could provide a pivotal breakthrough in the search to how planets form and develop in far-flung galaxies.

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Discovery of newborn exoplanet could help explain planetary evolution

A team of international researchers have discovered the youngest fully-formed exoplanet ever detected, orbiting a young star 500 light years from Earth.

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Exeter space experts join astronaut Tim Peake in school project

Researchers from the University of Exeter are taking part in a school project which will feature a live space hook up with the astronaut Tim Peake on the International Space Station (ISS).

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Scientists have used the subtle movements of a distant star to help discover a new exoplanet. 

Gaia helps discover directly imaged planet undergoing nuclear fusion

Scientists have used the subtle movements of a distant star to help discover a new exoplanet – which is displaying signs of undergoing nuclear fusion in its core. 

An international team of scientists, led by Professor Sasha Hinkley at the University of Exeter, have detected a new exoplanet orbiting the star HD206893 – found around 750 trillion miles from Earth, and about 30% larger than our own sun. 

The researchers confirmed the distant planet using the Very Large Telescope’s GRAVITY instrument – which works by using optical interferometry to synchronize the VLT’s four main telescopes in order to perform as one much larger telescope.   

This technique allows GRAVITY to measure the position of the planet in its orbit extremely precisely, as well as measure the spectrum of light being emitted from the planet’s atmosphere – further allowing astrophysicists to characterize its atmosphere. 

The research team has used this technique to conclude that the newly-discovered planet clearly shows obvious ‘brightening’ -  due to it undergoing nuclear fusion by burning Deuterium, or "heavy Hydrogen" in its core. 

The discovery marks a breakthrough in the quest to discover new, distant worlds, as this is one of the first detections of a planet whose presence was partially inferred due to the astrometric motion of the host star as it moves across the sky.  

The team believe that, with the ESA Gaia mission expected to point the way to numerous such exoplanets, many will be able to be characterized via direct imaging, as with this new discovery. 

Professor Hinkley said: “The discovery of HD206893c is a really important moment for the study of exoplanets, as ours may be the first direct detection of a ‘Gaia exoplanet.’” 

Scientists originally discovered a brown dwarf, known as HD206893B,  orbiting the host star in 2017. However, long term monitoring by the ESO HARPS instrument, as well as precise measurements of the host star's proper motion by the Gaia mission, also hinted at the presence of an inner, lower mass, companion.

Using the GRAVITY instrument, scientists were able to show this companion was a new planet, called HD206893c, and orbiting around 300 million miles from its host star  - roughly half way between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter in our own solar system - and with a mass greater than that of Jupiter. 

The discovery provides concrete evidence that modern instruments are able to directly​ detect exoplanets on orbital scales that are similar to our own solar system. 

Furthermore, as the planet straddles the deuterium-burning limit, commonly accepted to be around 13 Jupiter masses, it may help scientists clarify how they discriminate between objects to be a brown dwarf, or a bona fide extrasolar planet.   

Professor Hinkley added: “This discovery is also very significant because it shows that we can now directly characterize the atmospheres of these exoplanets where we know from previous studies that they most commonly reside, at roughly two to four times our Earth/Sun distance.” 

The research, titled Direct Discovery of the Inner Exoplanet in the HD206893 System,was accepted by the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics in October 2022. Professor Hinkley will present the findings at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) conference in Seattle on Tuesday, January 10th at 18.15pm (London Time). 

Date: 10 January 2023

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