New Planet Formation
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New ALMA Images Reveal Complex Rings Left Behind by Planet Formation
Astronomers used ALMA to capture unprecedented images of young exoplanetary systems. The ARKS survey mapped 24 debris disks, revealing rings, gaps and collisions that trace planetary evolution. These snapshots expose chaotic transitional stages, helping scientists understand how newborn planets mature into stable systems like our own Solar System t...
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Astronomers Successfully Weigh a Starless ‘Rogue Planet’ Drifting Through the Milky Way
Astronomers have precisely measured the mass of a rogue planet wandering through the Milky Way using a rare gravitational microlensing event. By combining observations from ground-based telescopes across three continents with data from ESA’s Gaia spacecraft, researchers determined the planet’s distance and found it to be about the mass of Satur...
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New Study Challenges Long-Held Beliefs About Formation Of The Moon
According to researchers, the composition of a planet or celestial body holds the entire story of its formation and origin.
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NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission Will Send Twin Probes to Uncover Mars’s Atmospheric Secrets
NASA’s ESCAPADE mission will launch twin mini-satellites, Blue and Gold, to Mars aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn. The probes will study how solar wind stripped away Mars’s atmosphere and water, helping scientists understand the Red Planet’s lost climate and its transformation into the dry world we see today.
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NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Telescope Challenges Old Theories on Mini-Neptune Worlds
New models suggest mini-Neptunes—planets smaller than Neptune with thick gas envelopes—may have solid rocky surfaces instead of molten magma. Data from NASA’s JWST revealed high-pressure atmospheres capable of compressing molten rock into solid crusts. This discovery challenges earlier assumptions and offers key insights into exoplanet compos...
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NASA Missions Uncover a Diverse Galaxy of Super-Earths, Raising New Questions About Planetary Evolution
Super-Earths are among the most common planets in the galaxy, yet none exist in our solar system. Larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, they range from ocean-covered worlds to scorched, atmosphere-less rocks. Some orbit within habitable zones, making them prime candidates for life. NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions, along with upcoming telesc...
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James Webb Telescope Detects Potential Gas Giant Exoplanet Just 4 Light-Years Away
Astronomers using JWST have spotted a possible gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A, only 4 light-years away. If confirmed, it would be the closest exoplanet to a Sun-like star ever imaged. The discovery could challenge current models of planetary formation in binary systems and open new opportunities for studying nearby worlds.
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Astronomers Capture Planet Birth Around Baby Sun Outside Solar System
Astronomers have discovered the earliest seeds of rocky planets forming in the gas around a baby sun-like star, providing a precious peek into the dawn of our own solar system.
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Crystalline Ice Discovered in Space: New Study Reveals Hidden Order in Cosmic Ice
A groundbreaking study from University College London and the University of Cambridge reveals that water ice in space, long believed to be completely amorphous due to extreme cold, may actually contain up to 25% crystalline structure. Simulations and X-ray diffraction experiments confirm the presence of nanocrystals in so-called low-density amorpho...
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Meteorite From Outer Solar System Challenges Planet Formation Timeline in Early Solar System
A meteorite from the outer solar system may upend long-held beliefs about planetary formation. New research shows rocky planets like Earth may have formed at the same time as those beyond Jupiter. The findings challenge previous models and suggest a more synchronised origin for rocky worlds across the solar system, with major implications for plane...
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Astronomers Discover Likely Site Of New Gas Giant Planet In Formation
The astronomers now hope to be able to take an actual image of the young planet using the sensitivity of JWST.
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James Webb Telescope Maps Fiery Atmosphere of Turbulent Exoplanet WASP-121b
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled the turbulent history of WASP-121b, a scorching exoplanet distorted by its star’s gravity. New atmospheric data reveals unusual molecules like silicon monoxide and methane, shedding light on the planet’s violent migration and extreme climate. These findings challenge current models and enhance un...
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Asteroid Vesta May Be a Fragment of a Lost Planet, Say Scientists
Vesta, once believed to be a stalled protoplanet, may be a fragment of a long-lost differentiated planet. Using refined gravity data from NASA’s Dawn mission, scientists found it lacks a dense core, suggesting it was ejected during a primordial impact. This revised view may apply to other asteroids and reshape planetary formation theories.
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Bizzare 'Failed Star' Planet Orbiting Double Star System in Milky Way Discovered by Researchers
Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet 90 degrees tilted around a special pair of eclipsing brown dwarfs. This uncommon "polar planet" challenges accepted wisdom on planet creation by presenting new insights on the dynamics of binary stars and the range of Milky Way planetary orbits.
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Mysterious Planetary-Mass Objects May Form in Young Star System Clashes
Recent research challenges traditional views on planetary-mass objects, suggesting they may form through violent interactions between young star systems rather than standard planetary or stellar processes. Simulations indicate these clashes create dense gas filaments that evolve into free-floating objects, often in binary pairs. This discovery expl...
-
New ALMA Images Reveal Complex Rings Left Behind by Planet Formation
Astronomers used ALMA to capture unprecedented images of young exoplanetary systems. The ARKS survey mapped 24 debris disks, revealing rings, gaps and collisions that trace planetary evolution. These snapshots expose chaotic transitional stages, helping scientists understand how newborn planets mature into stable systems like our own Solar System t...
-
Astronomers Successfully Weigh a Starless ‘Rogue Planet’ Drifting Through the Milky Way
Astronomers have precisely measured the mass of a rogue planet wandering through the Milky Way using a rare gravitational microlensing event. By combining observations from ground-based telescopes across three continents with data from ESA’s Gaia spacecraft, researchers determined the planet’s distance and found it to be about the mass of Satur...
-
New Study Challenges Long-Held Beliefs About Formation Of The Moon
According to researchers, the composition of a planet or celestial body holds the entire story of its formation and origin.
-
NASA’s ESCAPADE Mission Will Send Twin Probes to Uncover Mars’s Atmospheric Secrets
NASA’s ESCAPADE mission will launch twin mini-satellites, Blue and Gold, to Mars aboard Blue Origin’s New Glenn. The probes will study how solar wind stripped away Mars’s atmosphere and water, helping scientists understand the Red Planet’s lost climate and its transformation into the dry world we see today.
-
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope Telescope Challenges Old Theories on Mini-Neptune Worlds
New models suggest mini-Neptunes—planets smaller than Neptune with thick gas envelopes—may have solid rocky surfaces instead of molten magma. Data from NASA’s JWST revealed high-pressure atmospheres capable of compressing molten rock into solid crusts. This discovery challenges earlier assumptions and offers key insights into exoplanet compos...
-
NASA Missions Uncover a Diverse Galaxy of Super-Earths, Raising New Questions About Planetary Evolution
Super-Earths are among the most common planets in the galaxy, yet none exist in our solar system. Larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, they range from ocean-covered worlds to scorched, atmosphere-less rocks. Some orbit within habitable zones, making them prime candidates for life. NASA’s Kepler and TESS missions, along with upcoming telesc...
-
James Webb Telescope Detects Potential Gas Giant Exoplanet Just 4 Light-Years Away
Astronomers using JWST have spotted a possible gas giant orbiting Alpha Centauri A, only 4 light-years away. If confirmed, it would be the closest exoplanet to a Sun-like star ever imaged. The discovery could challenge current models of planetary formation in binary systems and open new opportunities for studying nearby worlds.
-
Astronomers Capture Planet Birth Around Baby Sun Outside Solar System
Astronomers have discovered the earliest seeds of rocky planets forming in the gas around a baby sun-like star, providing a precious peek into the dawn of our own solar system.
-
Crystalline Ice Discovered in Space: New Study Reveals Hidden Order in Cosmic Ice
A groundbreaking study from University College London and the University of Cambridge reveals that water ice in space, long believed to be completely amorphous due to extreme cold, may actually contain up to 25% crystalline structure. Simulations and X-ray diffraction experiments confirm the presence of nanocrystals in so-called low-density amorpho...
-
Meteorite From Outer Solar System Challenges Planet Formation Timeline in Early Solar System
A meteorite from the outer solar system may upend long-held beliefs about planetary formation. New research shows rocky planets like Earth may have formed at the same time as those beyond Jupiter. The findings challenge previous models and suggest a more synchronised origin for rocky worlds across the solar system, with major implications for plane...
-
Astronomers Discover Likely Site Of New Gas Giant Planet In Formation
The astronomers now hope to be able to take an actual image of the young planet using the sensitivity of JWST.
-
James Webb Telescope Maps Fiery Atmosphere of Turbulent Exoplanet WASP-121b
NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has unveiled the turbulent history of WASP-121b, a scorching exoplanet distorted by its star’s gravity. New atmospheric data reveals unusual molecules like silicon monoxide and methane, shedding light on the planet’s violent migration and extreme climate. These findings challenge current models and enhance un...
-
Asteroid Vesta May Be a Fragment of a Lost Planet, Say Scientists
Vesta, once believed to be a stalled protoplanet, may be a fragment of a long-lost differentiated planet. Using refined gravity data from NASA’s Dawn mission, scientists found it lacks a dense core, suggesting it was ejected during a primordial impact. This revised view may apply to other asteroids and reshape planetary formation theories.
-
Bizzare 'Failed Star' Planet Orbiting Double Star System in Milky Way Discovered by Researchers
Astronomers have discovered an exoplanet 90 degrees tilted around a special pair of eclipsing brown dwarfs. This uncommon "polar planet" challenges accepted wisdom on planet creation by presenting new insights on the dynamics of binary stars and the range of Milky Way planetary orbits.
-
Mysterious Planetary-Mass Objects May Form in Young Star System Clashes
Recent research challenges traditional views on planetary-mass objects, suggesting they may form through violent interactions between young star systems rather than standard planetary or stellar processes. Simulations indicate these clashes create dense gas filaments that evolve into free-floating objects, often in binary pairs. This discovery expl...
