The effect of starlight on the atmospheres of mini-Neptunes
Monday, January 19, 2015 - 09:30
in Astronomy & Space
Exoplanet surveys have discovered the first planets with sizes between 2 and 3.5 Earth radii—slightly smaller than the size of the planet Neptune in our solar system. These planets, dubbed "mini-Neptunes," have been spotted so far around five low mass stars, but since low mass stars are the most common stars in the universe, and since mini-Neptunes are also expected to be abundant around them, astronomers anticipate finding many more mini-Neptunes in the near future.