Planetary Evolution
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NASA Juno Mission Uncovers Subtle Geometric Shifts That Challenge Existing Models of the Jovian Interior
Scientists have refined Jupiter’s size and shape using modern radio signal observations, finding the giant planet slightly smaller and more flattened than earlier estimates. Though the difference is only a few kilometres, researchers say it greatly improves models of Jupiter’s interior, gravity, and atmospheric structure, offering deeper insigh...
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NASA’s TESS Captures First Images of Rare Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has captured rare images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third such object ever detected. Observations from January 2026 reveal the comet rotates every 15 hours and produces sunlight-driven jets, behaving much like Solar System comets. Scientists say studying 3I/ATLAS may unlock clues about th...
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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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JWST Reveals Powerful Winds and Dense Atmosphere on Scorching Exoplanet TOI-561b
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have found compelling evidence that TOI-561b, an ultra-hot rocky exoplanet orbiting its star every 11 hours, still retains a dense atmosphere. Temperatures measured on both its day and night sides are far lower than expected for a bare rock, implying powerful winds and efficient heat transport. ...
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New Orbital Clues Reveal How Hot Jupiters Moved Close to Their Stars
Researchers reveal some hot Jupiters drifted inward smoothly through protoplanetary disks, offering clues to planetary system formation and stability.
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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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Scientists May Finally Explain Mysterious Crown-Like Features on Venus
Venus’ distinctive crown-like coronae may be explained by heat trapped beneath a rigid mantle layer, according to recent studies. This discovery provides key insights into the planet’s geological activity and helps researchers compare Venus’ surface evolution to that of other planets in our solar system
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Mercury Has Shrunk by Several Kilometers Over Billions of Years, Scientists Report
Mercury’s surface reveals it has been shrinking for billions of years due to cooling and faulting. A new study estimates the planet’s radius has contracted by 2.7–5.6 kilometers, offering the most precise figures yet. The findings sharpen understanding of Mercury’s thermal evolution and could help scientists apply the same techniques to tec...
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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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Doomed Exoplanet TOI-2109b Spirals Toward Its Star with Three Possible Fates
The gas giant TOI-2109b, over five times Jupiter’s mass, is spiraling closer to its star in a rare planetary death spiral. With a 16-hour orbit and blistering heat, the exoplanet could either plunge into its host star, be torn apart by tidal forces, or evolve into a rocky super-Earth through photoevaporation. NASA’s TESS and ESA’s Cheops data...
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Chandra Spots Distant Baby Planet Losing Its Atmosphere Under Intense X-ray Assault
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has captured a rare glimpse of TOI 1227 b, a young, Jupiter-sized exoplanet losing its atmosphere under intense stellar radiation. Just 8 million years old, the planet is shrinking rapidly as X-rays strip away its mass. Scientists warn it may become a barren rocky core in about a billion years.
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Young Exoplanet Spotted Shedding Atmosphere Under Stellar Radiation
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope have captured a dramatic cosmic event: a baby exoplanet, TOI 1227 b, is being stripped of its atmosphere by powerful X-rays from its host star. Only 8 million years old and orbiting a red dwarf, this Jupiter-sized planet is losing gas at a rate equal to Earth’s entire atmosphere every ...
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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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Jupiter Was Once Twice Its Size - And Its Magnetic Field Could Fry Spacecraft
Jupiter's early evolution and gravitational influence played a crucial role in shaping the solar system's structure and planetary orbits, earning it the title of the solar system's "architect."
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Space Research Reveals How Icy Comets and Asteroids Could Reshape Earth-Like Planets
New scientific models and telescope observations from 2024 and 2025 reveal how comet and asteroid impacts can change atmospheres on Earth-like exoplanets, potentially supporting life or triggering climate disruption.
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NASA Juno Mission Uncovers Subtle Geometric Shifts That Challenge Existing Models of the Jovian Interior
Scientists have refined Jupiter’s size and shape using modern radio signal observations, finding the giant planet slightly smaller and more flattened than earlier estimates. Though the difference is only a few kilometres, researchers say it greatly improves models of Jupiter’s interior, gravity, and atmospheric structure, offering deeper insigh...
-
NASA’s TESS Captures First Images of Rare Interstellar Comet 3I/ATLAS
NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite has captured rare images of interstellar comet 3I/ATLAS, only the third such object ever detected. Observations from January 2026 reveal the comet rotates every 15 hours and produces sunlight-driven jets, behaving much like Solar System comets. Scientists say studying 3I/ATLAS may unlock clues about th...
-
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...
-
JWST Reveals Powerful Winds and Dense Atmosphere on Scorching Exoplanet TOI-561b
Astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have found compelling evidence that TOI-561b, an ultra-hot rocky exoplanet orbiting its star every 11 hours, still retains a dense atmosphere. Temperatures measured on both its day and night sides are far lower than expected for a bare rock, implying powerful winds and efficient heat transport. ...
-
New Orbital Clues Reveal How Hot Jupiters Moved Close to Their Stars
Researchers reveal some hot Jupiters drifted inward smoothly through protoplanetary disks, offering clues to planetary system formation and stability.
-
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...
-
Scientists May Finally Explain Mysterious Crown-Like Features on Venus
Venus’ distinctive crown-like coronae may be explained by heat trapped beneath a rigid mantle layer, according to recent studies. This discovery provides key insights into the planet’s geological activity and helps researchers compare Venus’ surface evolution to that of other planets in our solar system
-
Mercury Has Shrunk by Several Kilometers Over Billions of Years, Scientists Report
Mercury’s surface reveals it has been shrinking for billions of years due to cooling and faulting. A new study estimates the planet’s radius has contracted by 2.7–5.6 kilometers, offering the most precise figures yet. The findings sharpen understanding of Mercury’s thermal evolution and could help scientists apply the same techniques to tec...
-
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...
-
Doomed Exoplanet TOI-2109b Spirals Toward Its Star with Three Possible Fates
The gas giant TOI-2109b, over five times Jupiter’s mass, is spiraling closer to its star in a rare planetary death spiral. With a 16-hour orbit and blistering heat, the exoplanet could either plunge into its host star, be torn apart by tidal forces, or evolve into a rocky super-Earth through photoevaporation. NASA’s TESS and ESA’s Cheops data...
-
Chandra Spots Distant Baby Planet Losing Its Atmosphere Under Intense X-ray Assault
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory has captured a rare glimpse of TOI 1227 b, a young, Jupiter-sized exoplanet losing its atmosphere under intense stellar radiation. Just 8 million years old, the planet is shrinking rapidly as X-rays strip away its mass. Scientists warn it may become a barren rocky core in about a billion years.
-
Young Exoplanet Spotted Shedding Atmosphere Under Stellar Radiation
NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory and Hubble Space Telescope have captured a dramatic cosmic event: a baby exoplanet, TOI 1227 b, is being stripped of its atmosphere by powerful X-rays from its host star. Only 8 million years old and orbiting a red dwarf, this Jupiter-sized planet is losing gas at a rate equal to Earth’s entire atmosphere every ...
-
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...
-
Jupiter Was Once Twice Its Size - And Its Magnetic Field Could Fry Spacecraft
Jupiter's early evolution and gravitational influence played a crucial role in shaping the solar system's structure and planetary orbits, earning it the title of the solar system's "architect."
-
Space Research Reveals How Icy Comets and Asteroids Could Reshape Earth-Like Planets
New scientific models and telescope observations from 2024 and 2025 reveal how comet and asteroid impacts can change atmospheres on Earth-like exoplanets, potentially supporting life or triggering climate disruption.
