protoplanetary disk
ALMA Detects Hallmark “Wiggle” of Gravitational Instability in Planet-Forming Disk
According to Nebula Theory, stars and their systems of planets form when a massive cloud of gas and dust (a…
Astronomers See Planets Forming Around Binary Stars
Over 5,000 exoplanets have been discovered around distant star systems. Protoplanetary disks have been discovered too and it’s these, out…
A New Model Explains How Gas and Ice Giant Planets Can Form Rapidly
The most widely recognized explanation for planet formation is the accretion theory. It states that small particles in a protoplanetary…
Baby Stars Discharge “Sneezes” of Gas and Dust
I’m really not sure what to call it but a ‘dusty sneeze’ is probably as good as anything. We have…
In a Distant Solar System, the JWST Sees the End of Planet Formation
Every time a star forms, it represents an explosion of possibilities. Not for the star itself; its fate is governed…
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,…
Webb Sees a System That Just Finished Forming its Planets
When a young star begins forming, it's spinning rapidly, surrounded by a flattened disk that grows its future planets. Once…
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…
Seeing the Moment Planets Start to Form
Nature makes few duplicates, and planets are as distinct from one another as snowflakes are. But planets all start out…