Press Releases

The most recent

Water detected on an exoplanet located in its star’s habitable zone
September 11 2019

Water detected on an exoplanet located in its star’s habitable zone

An international study lead by Université de Montréal astronomer Björn Benneke has detected water vapour…

iREx astronomers determine Earth’s fingerprint in hopes of finding habitable planets beyond the Solar System
August 28 2019

iREx astronomers determine Earth’s fingerprint in hopes of finding habitable planets beyond the Solar System

Two iREx astronomers have assembled a “fingerprint” for Earth, which could be used to identify…

The dark side of extrasolar planets share surprisingly similar temperatures
August 28 2019

The dark side of extrasolar planets share surprisingly similar temperatures

A new study by McGill University astronomers has found that the temperature on the nightsides of different hot Jupiters is surprisingly uniform, suggesting the dark side of…

Probing a new class of exoplanets
July 2 2019

Probing a new class of exoplanets

An international team led by UdeM astronomer gets a clearer picture of what is likely…

Too much sodium turns a star blue
February 25 2019

Too much sodium turns a star blue

An international team of astrophysicists, led by researchers from the Université de Montréal, has identified…

All systems go for exo-Earth hunter SPIRou
February 22 2019

All systems go for exo-Earth hunter SPIRou

Nine months after capturing its first images from atop Maunakea in Hawaii, the scientific instrument…

Twice the size of Earth
September 5 2018

Twice the size of Earth

A young Canadian student at Université de Montréal discovers new exoplanet ideal for detailed characterization.…

Funding for Mont-Mégantic Observatory secured for five years
August 8 2018

Funding for Mont-Mégantic Observatory secured for five years

Ottawa and Quebec announce $4M in funding for the world-class observatory through 2023. With a…

Discovering the closest habitable worlds: the grand planet survey
April 5 2018

Discovering the closest habitable worlds: the grand planet survey

SPIRou’s long awaited large planet survey will be debuting soon. This program will extent for…

When do aging brown dwarfs sweep the clouds away?
February 27 2018

When do aging brown dwarfs sweep the clouds away?

Brown dwarfs, the larger cousins of giant planets, undergo atmospheric changes from cloudy to cloudless…

A ‘hot Jupiter’ with unusual winds
January 22 2018

A ‘hot Jupiter’ with unusual winds

Puzzling finding raises new questions about atmospheric physics of giant planets The hottest point on…

Scientists Solve the Mystery of Blinking Brown Dwarfs
August 17 2017

Scientists Solve the Mystery of Blinking Brown Dwarfs

Dim objects called brown dwarfs, less massive than the Sun but more massive than Jupiter,…