News
Venus more tectonically alive than we thought
Several tectonic processes are occurring beneath the surface of Venus, according to a new study led by researchers from the University of Bern’s Center for Space and Habitability (CSH) and NASA. They found that many of the numerous “coronae” scattered all over Venus’ globe are associated with gravity field perturbations, hinting at the sub-surface tectonic […]
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In the search for life on exoplanets, finding nothing is something too
A team led by researchers at ETH Zurich’s Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics, and members from the NCCR PlanetS, studied what insights can be gained from a ‘no life detected’ scenario in future exoplanet surveys. What if humanity’s search for life on other planets returns no hits? A team of researchers led by NCCR […]
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Observational tango reveals a Super-Earth
An international team, including researchers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the National Research Centre PlanetS, announces the discovery of a new super-Earth around a star slightly cooler than our Sun. Once again, the high-precision spectrograph ESPRESSO – designed and developed under the direction of the UNIGE – has made this discovery possible. The […]
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Where to find the next Earth
A team from the University of Bern and the National Centre of Competence in Research (NCCR) PlanetS has developed a machine learning model that predicts potential planetary systems with Earth-like planets. The model could significantly accelerate and thus revolutionize the future search for habitable planets in the universe. The search for Earth-like exoplanets – planets […]
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Fantasy Basel 2025 – Call for volunteers
Dear PlanetS members and associates, Once again, PlanetS will return to Fantasy Basel – the Swiss Comic-con – and we need you! This year marks the 30th anniversary of 51 Peg b discovery, so exoplanets will be our main focus! But rest assured that all of planetary sciences will be represented! The festival will be held […]
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This exoplanet’s extreme climate defies all models
WASP-121b is one of the most studied exoplanets. Known for its extreme conditions—such as clouds of metal vapor—it belongs to the category of ultra-hot Jupiters. To explore its mysteries, an international team of astronomers, including researchers from the University of Geneva’s (UNIGE) Department of Astronomy and the PlanetS National Research Center, combined observations from the […]
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A super-Earth laboratory for searching life elsewhere in the Universe
Thirty years after the discovery of the first exoplanet, more than 7000 have been discovered in our Galaxy. But there are still billions more to be discovered! At the same time, exoplanetologists have begun to take an interest in their characteristics, with the aim of finding life elsewhere in the Universe. This is the background […]
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Not all Hot Jupiters orbit solo
Hot Jupiters are giant planets initially known to orbit alone close to their star. During their migration towards their star, these planets were thought to accrete or eject any other planets present. However, this paradigm has been overturned by recent observations, and the final blow could come from a new study led by the University […]
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A sub-Earth detected around our neighbouring star Barnard
A team of scientists including researchers from the University of Bern, the University of Geneva and the NCCR PlanetS used the ESPRESSO Spectrograph to discover a sub-Earth mass exoplanet orbiting Barnard’s star, the second-closest star system to the Sun. This discovery helps to understand planetary formation around red dwarfs and provides insights into the diversity […]
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Hidden exoplanets between the Neptunian desert and savanna
Astronomers have uncovered the ‘‘Neptunian Ridge’’, a newly identified feature in the distribution of exoplanets. This discovery, led by an international team including members of the University of Geneva, The NCCR PlanetS and the Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), highlights the complex dynamics within the Neptunian Desert, a region with a scarcity of hot Neptunes, and […]
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