Stephen R. Kane et al 2016 ApJ 830 1

A list of habitable-zone (HZ) exoplanet candidates from Kepler Q1–Q17 data includes 104 candidates within the optimistic HZ and 20 candidates with radii of <2 Earth radii within the conservative HZ.

Mariah G. MacDonald et al 2016 AJ 152 105

Kepler-80, a system of five tightly spaced inner planets, is analyzed. The system is found to be long-term stable, and the four outer planets are discovered to be in a dynamically rare configuration.

Eric David Kramer and Lisa Randall 2016 ApJ 829 126

A thin dark matter disk could be discovered in the Milky Way by measuring the relationship between the midplane densities and scale heights of interstellar gas, but current models/data are inadequate.

Takashi Tsukagoshi et al 2016 ApJ 829 L35

~3-AU resolution imaging of the protoplanetary disk around TW Hya with ALMA indicates a deficit of mm-sized grains within the most prominent gap at 22 AU, suggesting an unseen planet has cleared it.

W. B. Sparks et al 2016 ApJ 829 121

HST far-UV direct images of Europa, taken as the moon transited Jupiter’s face, were used to measure absorption from gas or aerosols beyond the Europa limb. Possible signs of plume activity were detected.

Calen B. Henderson and Yossi Shvartzvald 2016 AJ 152 96

Calculations show WFIRST should be able to detect and characterize the masses of free-floating planets down to or below super-Earths throughout the Galaxy during its entire microlensing survey.