protoplanets
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…
Some Star Systems Create a Planet Sandwich
A recent study presented at the National Astronomy Meeting 2023 (NAM2023) examines a newly discovered planetary formation theory that challenges…
Astronomers See Adorable Baby Planets Forming Around a Young Star
370 light years away from us, a solar system is making baby planets. The star at the center of it…
The Moon’s Mare Imbrium Was Hit By Protoplanetary Size Impactor
The asteroid that punched an “eye” in the Moon is about 10 times more massive than originally thought. Researchers say…
How Are Planets Formed?
How did the Solar System's planets come to be? The leading theory is something known as the "protoplanet hypothesis", which…
Have Astronomers Seen a Forming Planet in Action?
Huge disks of dust and gas encircle many young stars. Some contain circular gaps — likely the result of forming planets…
First Direct Observation of a Nearby Protoplanet
Astronomers have taken what is likely the first-ever direct image of a planet that is still undergoing its formation, embedded…
Asteroid Vesta Floats in Space in High Resolution 3-D
[/caption] The giant Asteroid Vesta literally floats in space in a new high resolution 3-D image of the battered bodies…
NASA Unveils Thrilling First Full Frame Images of Vesta from Dawn
[/caption] NASA has just released the first full frame images of Vesta- and they are thrilling! The new images unveil…
Dawn Exceeds Wildest Expectations as First Ever Spacecraft to Orbit a Protoplanet – Vesta
[/caption] NASA’s super exciting Dawn mission to the Asteroid Belt marked a major milestone in human history by becoming the…