If you want to be picky about it, sure, the number is four...
https://xkcd.com/3063/
#pluto #planets #astronomy #definitions #NDTisAPoop

(13 Mar) 128 new moons discovered orbiting Saturn, nearly doubling the ringed planet’s total
Astronomers have discovered 128 never-before-seen moons orbiting Saturn — giving it almost twice as ...
https://s.faithcollapsing.com/hhkvo
Archive: ais: https://archive.md/wip/BukfD ia: https://s.faithcollapsing.com/vzxwd
#astronomy #planets #space

Examining the Potential for Methyl Halide Accumulation and Detectability in Possible Hycean-type Atmospheres: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adb558 -> Signs of alien life may be hiding in these gases: https://news.ucr.edu/articles/2025/03/13/signs-alien-life-may-be-hiding-these-gases - advancing the search for weird life on weird #planets.

Barnard’s Star is a well-studied 10-billion-year-old M dwarf with a mass of 0.16 solar mass.

Finding #exoplanets around #Barnard’s #Star has been something of a white whale for astronomers for more than half a century.

The system of four small #planets around the star are in remarkably close quarters, with periods of just 2.34, 3.15, 4.12, and 6.74 days.

The current data rule out the presence of habitable-zone planets with masses greater than 0.57 Earth mass.

https://astrobiology.com/2025/03/barnards-star-hosts-four-tiny-planets.html

Saturn solidifies its title as moon king with the discovery of 128 new moons
With a whopping total of 274 moons, researchers say Saturn’s tug of war with Jupiter for the title is settled once and for all.
#space #science #astronomy #planets #Radio #AsItHappens
https://www.cbc.ca/radio/asithappens/saturn-moon-king-1.7483266?cmp=rss

Violent Supernovae Could Have Triggered at Least 2 Extinction Events

https://www.sciencealert.com/violent-supernovae-could-have-triggered-at-least-2-extinction-events

Though this system has hoodwinked astronomers with planetary signals before, researchers say they're confident they have detected three new #planets and confirmed another around Barnard's #Star.

After peering at Barnard's Star over 112 nights, scientists found compelling evidence of four particularly small #exoplanets, each just some 20 to 30 percent the size of Earth.

The planets are considerably smaller than Mars, which is about half Earth's size.

#astronomy
https://mashable.com/article/planets-discovery-barnards-star-cosmic-neighbor

A slightly better shot of #mercury & #venus and an almost-full #moon over #Belfast from my #kitchen window this evening.

dwarf planets

#planets
#dwarf
#dwarves

Four Sub-Earth #Planets Orbiting Barnard's Star from MAROON-X and ESPRESSO: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/adb8d5 -> Confirmed at Last - Barnard’s Star Hosts Four Tiny Planets: https://aasnova.org/2025/03/11/confirmed-at-last-barnards-star-hosts-four-tiny-planets/

Saturn’s largest moon, #Titan, is particularly captivating for scientists.

It is known to host an #atmosphere about 1.5 times denser than Earth’s and bodies of liquid on its surface.

But even such a large #moon lacks the mass to keep a tight hold on its atmosphere.

Now, new experimental research shows that the chemical compounds in Titan’s atmosphere could emerge from processes in its interior.

#Cryovolcanism replenishes its thick atmosphere.

#planets #astronomy
https://www.astronomy.com/science/cryovolcanism-on-titan-may-replenish-its-thick-atmosphere/

Climate change, already causing problems on Earth, could soon create a mess for orbiting satellites https://www.byteseu.com/817484/ #AerospaceTechnology #AssociatedPress #Climate #ClimateAndEnvironment #ClimateChange #EnvironmentalScience #GeneralNews #GlobalWarming #IngridCnossen #national #planets #Science #SethBorenstein #SpaceExploration #WillParker #WorldNews

I popped outside last night at dusk to try to spot Mercury and was successful! I was inspired, so I pulled out the 8" Dobsonian scope and did a tour of the visible planets. No award-winning photos here, but it was fun to see.

#planets #astronomy

Scientists have discovered a 3-billion-year-old beach buried on Mars

https://phys.org/news/2025-02-scientists-billion-year-beach-mars.html

Small #planets have nearly circular orbits, while giant planets have orbits about four times more elliptical.

The finding points toward two different pathways by which large and small planets form.

The #eccentricity split coincides with several other iconic features in the #exoplanet population, such as the high abundance of small planets over large planets and a tendency for giant planets to form only around #stars enriched in heavy elements.

#astronomy #exoplanets
https://astrobiology.com/2025/03/small-and-large-planets-have-significantly-different-upbringings.html

Planets are formed from protoplanetary disks, spinning clouds of dust and gas that are the perfect ingredients for #planet formation.

A fresh look at past data reveals that #exoplanets with masses similar to #Jupiter formed much sooner than previously thought.

New results provide information about the early timing of accretion—the process of accumulating a large amount of gas and dust to make large #planets.

#astronomy
https://phys.org/news/2025-03-astronomer-gas-giant-exoplanets-earlier.html