exoplanet formation
This Jupiter-Sized Exoplanet is Unusual for Several Reasons
In a recent study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, a team of international researchers examined…
An Unfortunate Planet is Undergoing “Extreme Evaporation,” Melting Under the Extreme Heat From its Star
Astronomers have known something strange is happening at the star FU Ori for decades. The star brightened dramatically about 85…
Can We Predict if a System Will Have Giant Planets?
Prediction is one of the hallmarks of scientific endeavors. Scientists pride themselves on being able to predict physical realities based…
The Planet That Shouldn’t Exist
As of this writing, almost 5300 exoplanets spanning approximately 4000 planetary systems have been confirmed to exist in our universe.…
Astronomers are Watching a gas Giant Grow, Right in Front of Their Eyes
In the vastness of space, astronomers are likely to find instances of almost every astronomical phenomena if they look hard…
This Exoplanetary System Breaks all the Rules
It's just like a normal solar system...except completely backwards. (more…)
A Strange Planet has been Found that’s Smaller than Neptune But 50% More Massive
Astronomers have found another strange exoplanet in a distant solar system. This one's an oddball because its size is intermediate…
A Neptune-class exoplanet has been found with its atmosphere stripped away
What happens when a giant planet gets stripped of its atmosphere? It leaves behind a giant core, rich in iron…
Huge Stars Can Destroy Nearby Planetary Disks
Westerlund 2 is a star cluster about 20,000 light years away. It's young—only about one or two million years old—and…
This is an Actual Image of a Planet-Forming Disc in a Distant Star System
In 2017, astronomers used ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array) to look at the star AB Aurigae. It's a type of…