Planets

A Young Exoplanet's Atmosphere Doesn't Match its BirthplaceA Young Exoplanet's Atmosphere Doesn't Match its Birthplace

A Young Exoplanet's Atmosphere Doesn't Match its Birthplace

If the modern age of astronomy could be summarized in a few words, it would probably be "the age of…

2 months ago
Saturn’s Rings Might Be Really Old After AllSaturn’s Rings Might Be Really Old After All

Saturn’s Rings Might Be Really Old After All

Saturn's rings are among the most glorious, stunning, and well-studied features in the Solar System. However, their age has been…

2 months ago
There’s More Water Inside Planets Than We ThoughtThere’s More Water Inside Planets Than We Thought

There’s More Water Inside Planets Than We Thought

When you walk across your lawn or down the street, you move on the surface of a surprisingly layered world.…

6 months ago
Officially, Only the Sun Can Have Planets. Is it Time to Fix the Definition of “Planet”?Officially, Only the Sun Can Have Planets. Is it Time to Fix the Definition of “Planet”?

Officially, Only the Sun Can Have Planets. Is it Time to Fix the Definition of “Planet”?

What is the true definition of a planet, and could there be a more refined definition in the future? This…

7 months ago
Alpha Centauri Could Have a Super Jupiter in OrbitAlpha Centauri Could Have a Super Jupiter in Orbit

Alpha Centauri Could Have a Super Jupiter in Orbit

The three-body problem is one of Nature's thorniest problems. The gravitational interactions and resulting movements of three bodies are notoriously…

8 months ago
If We Want To Find Life-Supporting Worlds, We Should Focus on Small Planets With Large MoonsIf We Want To Find Life-Supporting Worlds, We Should Focus on Small Planets With Large Moons

If We Want To Find Life-Supporting Worlds, We Should Focus on Small Planets With Large Moons

There's no perfect way of doing anything, including searching for exoplanets. Every planet-hunting method has some type of bias. We've…

8 months ago
New Evidence for Our Solar System’s Ghost: Planet NineNew Evidence for Our Solar System’s Ghost: Planet Nine

New Evidence for Our Solar System’s Ghost: Planet Nine

Does another undetected planet languish in our Solar System's distant reaches? Does it follow a distant orbit around the Sun…

10 months ago
The Giant Planets Migrated Between 60-100 Million Years After the Solar System FormedThe Giant Planets Migrated Between 60-100 Million Years After the Solar System Formed

The Giant Planets Migrated Between 60-100 Million Years After the Solar System Formed

Untangling what happened in our Solar System tens or hundreds of millions of years ago is challenging. Millions of objects…

10 months ago
Where Are All These Rogue Planets Coming From?Where Are All These Rogue Planets Coming From?

Where Are All These Rogue Planets Coming From?

There's a population of planets that drifts through space untethered to any stars. They're called rogue planets or free-floating planets…

11 months ago
One in Twelve Stars Ate a PlanetOne in Twelve Stars Ate a Planet

One in Twelve Stars Ate a Planet

That stars can eat planets is axiomatic. If a small enough planet gets too close to a large enough star,…

11 months ago