Intelligent life on other planets has fascinated our culture for centuries. Find out what two new studies tell us about our likelihood of discovering it. (5:00 min read)
Category: Planets
Discoveries related to the origin, evolution, and distribution of life in the universe.
Planets Without Suns: Can They Sustain Life?
Planets without suns float around orphaned in interstellar space. We've always assumed they couldn't support life. Find out why that view is changing. (4:30 min read)
Astrobiology: 3 Questions We Need to Answer
Astrobiology is working to answer three fundamental questions. Find out what they are and how NASA is coordinating efforts to get to the bottom of them. (4:30 min)
Planets Form From Stardust – Rapidly and Frequently
Planets form by gathering dust, not from smaller bodies crashing into each other. Find out why this is both promising and thrilling for the search for life. (4:00 min read)
Habitable Planets Orbiting Black Holes
Habitable planets orbiting a black hole are the setting for the Christoper Nolan film "Interstellar." Find out what scientists found when they considered the possibility in real life. (4:30 min read)
Martian Colonies Impossible Due to Radiation
Martian colonies are back in the news after a tweet storm by Elon Musk. Find out how an astrobiologist instantly shot down his plans. (4:00 min read)
Student Intern Discovers Planet With Two Suns
A student intern at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has discovered a planet orbiting two binary stars. It's the first one the TESS team has spotted. Find out why this discovery tells us more about our own planet's formation. (3:30 min read)
Earthlike Planet Found by NASA’s TESS
Earthlike planets are the target of NASA and MIT's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS). This week TESS found its first earth-sized planet orbiting in its suns' habitable zone. Find out why NASA scientists are calling this discovery "exciting." (4:00 min read)
Exoplanet Water Common Yet Rare
Exoplanet water has been found on most planets studied but not in the quantities scientists expected. Find out what this means for the search for life in space. (4:30 min read)
Exoplanet Giant Orbiting Tiny White Dwarf
A giant exoplanet has been discovered orbiting a tiny white dwarf star only a quarter of the planet's size. That's right, the planet is far larger in size than its star. Find out why this matters to our search for life on other worlds. (4:30 min read)