Sagan celebrated for scientific mind – and imagination

Astronomy

By | James Dean , Cornell Chronicle

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Illustration of two objects in space: a reddish planet and a faintly glowing star
NASA, ESA, CSA, Ralf Crawford (STScI) Artist concept of the gas giant planet WD 1856 b orbiting a white dwarf star. The planet is 7 times larger than the Earth-sized white dwarf it orbits. WD 1856 b has methane and hazes in its atmosphere, which would give it a similar color to Saturn's moon Titan. The white dwarf formed from a star that died 5 billion years ago, and has been cooling ever since, giving it an orange colour similar to the Sun.

International team sheds light on how planet survived its star’s death

Astronomy
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Sreang Hok/Cornell University. Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute, associate professor of astronomy and author of “Alien Earths: The New Science of Planet Hunting in the Cosmos,” said the thousands of exoplanets detected to date suggest there are “billions and billions” of possibilities for life beyond Earth.