Planetary Formation
Massive Stars Have the Power to Shape Solar Systems
Stars shape their solar systems. It's true of ours, and it's true of others. But for some massive stars, their…
This Planet-Forming Disk has More Water Than Earth’s Oceans
Astronomers have detected a large amount of water vapour in the protoplanetary disk around a young star. There's at least…
How We Get Planets from Clumping Dust
Our gleaming Earth, brimming with liquid water and swarming with life, began as all rocky planets do: dust. Somehow, mere…
A Planetary Disk in the Orion Nebula is Destroying and Replenishing Oceans of Water Every Month
Planet-forming disks are places of chaotic activity. Not only do planetesimals slam together to form larger worlds, but it now…
Radio Telescope Confirms Free-Floating Binary Planets in the Orion Nebula
Planets orbit stars. That's axiomatic. Or at least it was until astronomers started finding rogue planets, also called free-floating planets…
Some Young Planets Are Flattened Smarties, not Spheres.
One of contemporary astronomy's most pressing questions concerns planet formation. We can see more deeply than ever into very young…
Planetary Surfaces: Why study them? Can they help us find life elsewhere?
Universe Today recently explored the importance of studying impact craters and what they can teach us about finding life beyond…
Half of this Exoplanet is Covered in Lava
Astronomers working with TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) have discovered a planet that's been left out in the Sun too…
Planetesimals Are Buffeted by Wind in their Nebula, Throwing Debris into Space
Before planets form around a young star, the protosolar disk is populated with innumerable planetesimals. Over time, these planetesimals combine…
The Youngest Planetary Disks Ever Seen
How long does planet formation take? Maybe not as long as we thought, according to new research. Observations with the…