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Astronomers Measure Mass and Distance of a Rogue Planet for the First Time in History
Astronomers have measured the mass and distance of a rogue planet for the first time. Using observations from Earth and the Gaia space telescope, the planet was found to be just under Saturn’s mass and about 10,000 light-years away. The study highlights how free-floating planets are ejected from star systems and improves understanding of planetar...
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Hubble Observations Turn Exoplanet Into Dust; Reveal Rare Double Asteroid Impact in Nearby System
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has revealed that a vanished exoplanet near the star Fomalhaut was never a planet at all. Scientists discovered two rare, violent collisions between asteroid-sized bodies, producing glowing debris clouds that briefly mimicked planets. The findings offer a rare glimpse into how planetary systems evolve and how mislead...
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Planet-Eating Stars Offer a Glimpse Into Earth’s Fate as the Sun Nears Its Final Stages
Astronomers studying aging Sun-like stars have found strong evidence that stars consume their closest planets as they evolve. Using data from NASA’s TESS mission, researchers observed fewer planets around older stars, suggesting worlds are destroyed over time. The findings offer a realistic preview of Earth’s fate billions of years from now.
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ESA Reveals City-Size ‘Cosmic Butterfly’ Crater on Mars Containing Signs of Ancient Water
ESA has captured a city-sized butterfly-shaped crater on Mars with smooth wings likely formed by melted underground ice. Studying this rare structure helps scientists understand asteroid impacts, Mars’ surface ice, and the planet’s ancient watery past while offering insight into how unusual crater formations develop on the Red Planet.
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Early Earth’s Deep Mantle May Have Held More Water Than Previously Believed, Study Finds
Scientists have discovered that Earth’s deep mantle may have stored an ocean’s worth of water during the planet’s earliest years. New experiments show that bridgmanite, a dominant mantle mineral, can hold much more water under extreme heat, offering fresh insight into how Earth retained water and became habitable.
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JWST Detects Thick Atmosphere on Ultra-Hot Rocky Exoplanet TOI-561 b
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered compelling evidence of a thick atmosphere surrounding TOI-561 b, an ultra-hot rocky exoplanet orbiting its star every 11 hours. Despite extreme radiation and molten surface conditions, the planet appears cooler than expected, suggesting heat-redistributing atmospheric winds and volati...
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Uranus and Neptune May Be Rock-Dominated Planets, Study Suggests
Uranus and Neptune may not be true ice giants after all. New research using advanced hybrid simulations suggests the distant planets could be dominated by rocky material rather than water-rich ices. The findings challenge decades of planetary models and may help explain the planets’ unusual, non-dipolar magnetic fields. Scientists say future dedi...
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Misaligned Exoplanet Is Challenging How We Think Solar Systems Form
Astronomers studying the dwarf-star system TOI-3884b have uncovered a striking anomaly: the planet’s orbit is sharply misaligned with its star’s rotation. Using multicolour transit observations, researchers detected repeated starspot-crossing events that revealed the planet passes over cooler regions on the stellar surface. Follow-up monitoring...
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A Nearby Planet May Have Formed the Moon Following a Collision With Early Earth: Study
A new analysis of Apollo samples and Earth rocks suggests that a nearby rocky planet, not a distant object, collided with early Earth and formed the moon. The study argues that this lost planet, Theia, originated in the inner solar system and shared Earth’s early neighbourhood, offering fresh insight into one of the most important events in our p...
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Scientists Warn Southern Ocean Could ‘Burp’ Stored Heat, Delaying Global Cooling for 100 Years
New modelling suggests the Southern Ocean could one day release the vast heat it has stored from greenhouse gas pollution. If CO₂ levels were pushed to net-negative, deep convection may trigger a sudden “thermal burp” that warms the planet for decades. Though idealised, the study shows how Antarctica’s surrounding seas could shape long-term...
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Venus' Winds Race Around The Planet At Extreme Speeds Due To Solar Heat
New findings suggest that diurnal tides, driven by solar heat, are a major contributor to the extreme speeds of Venus's winds.
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Scientists Finally Identify What Drives Venus’s Fast Winds
A new study has identified the primary force behind Venus’s extreme superrotating atmosphere: a once-per-day thermal tide driven by solar heating. Using data from Venus Express and Akatsuki along with circulation models, researchers show that this daily tide transports most of the momentum that accelerates cloud-top winds to speeds over 100 metre...
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Study Reveals Hidden Deep-Earth Structures That Can Rewrite Planet's History
Researchers say each new discovery brings them closer to piecing together Earth's early history.
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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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Astronomers Detect "Super-Earth" Just 18 Light-Years Away In Habitable Zone
Researchers at UC Irvine and their partners published their study in The Astronomical Journal.
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Astronomers Measure Mass and Distance of a Rogue Planet for the First Time in History
Astronomers have measured the mass and distance of a rogue planet for the first time. Using observations from Earth and the Gaia space telescope, the planet was found to be just under Saturn’s mass and about 10,000 light-years away. The study highlights how free-floating planets are ejected from star systems and improves understanding of planetar...
-
Hubble Observations Turn Exoplanet Into Dust; Reveal Rare Double Asteroid Impact in Nearby System
NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope has revealed that a vanished exoplanet near the star Fomalhaut was never a planet at all. Scientists discovered two rare, violent collisions between asteroid-sized bodies, producing glowing debris clouds that briefly mimicked planets. The findings offer a rare glimpse into how planetary systems evolve and how mislead...
-
Planet-Eating Stars Offer a Glimpse Into Earth’s Fate as the Sun Nears Its Final Stages
Astronomers studying aging Sun-like stars have found strong evidence that stars consume their closest planets as they evolve. Using data from NASA’s TESS mission, researchers observed fewer planets around older stars, suggesting worlds are destroyed over time. The findings offer a realistic preview of Earth’s fate billions of years from now.
-
ESA Reveals City-Size ‘Cosmic Butterfly’ Crater on Mars Containing Signs of Ancient Water
ESA has captured a city-sized butterfly-shaped crater on Mars with smooth wings likely formed by melted underground ice. Studying this rare structure helps scientists understand asteroid impacts, Mars’ surface ice, and the planet’s ancient watery past while offering insight into how unusual crater formations develop on the Red Planet.
-
Early Earth’s Deep Mantle May Have Held More Water Than Previously Believed, Study Finds
Scientists have discovered that Earth’s deep mantle may have stored an ocean’s worth of water during the planet’s earliest years. New experiments show that bridgmanite, a dominant mantle mineral, can hold much more water under extreme heat, offering fresh insight into how Earth retained water and became habitable.
-
JWST Detects Thick Atmosphere on Ultra-Hot Rocky Exoplanet TOI-561 b
Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope have discovered compelling evidence of a thick atmosphere surrounding TOI-561 b, an ultra-hot rocky exoplanet orbiting its star every 11 hours. Despite extreme radiation and molten surface conditions, the planet appears cooler than expected, suggesting heat-redistributing atmospheric winds and volati...
-
Uranus and Neptune May Be Rock-Dominated Planets, Study Suggests
Uranus and Neptune may not be true ice giants after all. New research using advanced hybrid simulations suggests the distant planets could be dominated by rocky material rather than water-rich ices. The findings challenge decades of planetary models and may help explain the planets’ unusual, non-dipolar magnetic fields. Scientists say future dedi...
-
Misaligned Exoplanet Is Challenging How We Think Solar Systems Form
Astronomers studying the dwarf-star system TOI-3884b have uncovered a striking anomaly: the planet’s orbit is sharply misaligned with its star’s rotation. Using multicolour transit observations, researchers detected repeated starspot-crossing events that revealed the planet passes over cooler regions on the stellar surface. Follow-up monitoring...
-
A Nearby Planet May Have Formed the Moon Following a Collision With Early Earth: Study
A new analysis of Apollo samples and Earth rocks suggests that a nearby rocky planet, not a distant object, collided with early Earth and formed the moon. The study argues that this lost planet, Theia, originated in the inner solar system and shared Earth’s early neighbourhood, offering fresh insight into one of the most important events in our p...
-
Scientists Warn Southern Ocean Could ‘Burp’ Stored Heat, Delaying Global Cooling for 100 Years
New modelling suggests the Southern Ocean could one day release the vast heat it has stored from greenhouse gas pollution. If CO₂ levels were pushed to net-negative, deep convection may trigger a sudden “thermal burp” that warms the planet for decades. Though idealised, the study shows how Antarctica’s surrounding seas could shape long-term...
-
Venus' Winds Race Around The Planet At Extreme Speeds Due To Solar Heat
New findings suggest that diurnal tides, driven by solar heat, are a major contributor to the extreme speeds of Venus's winds.
-
Scientists Finally Identify What Drives Venus’s Fast Winds
A new study has identified the primary force behind Venus’s extreme superrotating atmosphere: a once-per-day thermal tide driven by solar heating. Using data from Venus Express and Akatsuki along with circulation models, researchers show that this daily tide transports most of the momentum that accelerates cloud-top winds to speeds over 100 metre...
-
Study Reveals Hidden Deep-Earth Structures That Can Rewrite Planet's History
Researchers say each new discovery brings them closer to piecing together Earth's early history.
-
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.
-
Astronomers Detect "Super-Earth" Just 18 Light-Years Away In Habitable Zone
Researchers at UC Irvine and their partners published their study in The Astronomical Journal.
