Kavli Institute

Newfound exoplanet may turn to dustA planet’s dust cloud may explain strange patterns of light from its star.

First light from a super-Earth spottedDetection reveals a searing planet.

X-ray monitoring mission comes to an endThe RXTE satellite retires after 16 years.

A model bursterResearchers find the first neutron star that bursts as predicted.

MIT’s TESS project awarded $1 million NASA grant

Explained: Transiting exoplanetsHow astronomers learn whether a planet is habitable by observing slight changes in light emanating from its parent star.

Learning from hot JupitersBy studying how massive planets may have formed, MIT astrophysicist sets the stage for studying smaller, more Earthlike planets.

Building a list of Earth candidatesMIT researchers increase their odds of detecting an Earthlike planet by working on a combination of satellite missions.

Robert J. Butler, former design research engineer at MIT, dies at 89An MIT engineer for 25 years, he helped design instruments for NASA’s Voyager spacecraft.

Explained: the Doppler effectThe same phenomenon behind changes in the pitch of a moving ambulance’s siren is helping astronomers locate and study distant planets.