Planetary Formation
Even Really Massive Stars Seem to Have Planets
Can planets form around massive, hot stars? Some astronomers think they can't. According to the evidence, planets around stars exceeding…
The Early Solar System Had a Gap Where the Asteroid Belt is Today
Wind the cosmic clock back a few billion years and our Solar System looked much different than it does today.…
The Early Solar System was Messier and More Violent Than Previously Believed
Our conventional models of planet formation may have to be updated, according to a pair of new papers. Accretion is…
There Should be More Material Left Over From Bombardment Eras. Maybe the Sun Blew it all Away?
The early solar system was an especially violent place. The terrestrial planets (Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars) likely formed by…
Many Sunlike Stars Gobbled up Some of Their Planets
New research shows that other sunlike stars in our galaxy aren't so kind to their planets. Up to a quarter…
This is how you get Tatooines. Binary Star Planet Formation
One of the less appreciated aspects of George Lucas’ vision for Star Wars was that he predicted the existence of…
The Sun is Mellow Yellow Today. Billions of Years Ago? Not So Much
Planetary formation theory has been undergoing a lot of changes recently, with an ever expanding litany of events that can…
Does Mercury Have a big Iron Core Because it’s so Close to the Sun’s Magnetic Field?
Magnetic fields are great for lots of things - directing explorers, levitating trains, and containing nuclear fusion reactions are just…
Astronomers see an Accretion Disk Where Planets are About to Form
Planet formation is notoriously difficult to study. Not only does the process take millions of years, making it impossible to…
Magnetic Fields Help Shape the Formation of New Planets
In all of scientific modeling, the models attempting to replicate planetary and solar system formation are some of the most…