Planetary Formation
Planet Formation Favors the Metal-Rich Inner Milky Way
Exoplanets have captured the imagination of public and scientists alike and, as the search continues for more, researchers have turned…
Habitable Worlds Could Have Formed Before the First Galaxies
What came first, galaxies or planets? The answer has always been galaxies, but new research is changing that idea. Could…
Planets Can Form in Even the Harshest Conditions
According to the most widely held astronomical model (the Nebular Hypothesis), new stars are born from massive clouds of dust…
Webb Observes Protoplanetary Disks that Contradict Models of Planet Formation
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) was specifically intended to address some of the greatest unresolved questions in cosmology. These…
What's Inside Uranus and Neptune? A New Way to Find Out
Uranus and Neptune are "ice giants," containing chemicals like methane and ammonia, but compressed under intense pressure. This is just…
Webb Scans Vega for Planets
To northern sky watchers, Vega is a familiar sight in the summer sky. It’s one of the brightest stars in…
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…
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…
Sulphur Makes A Surprise Appearance in this Exoplanet’s Atmosphere
At our current level of knowledge, many exoplanet findings take us by surprise. The only atmospheric chemistry we can see…
Webb Sees Asteroids Collide in Another Star System
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) continues to make amazing discoveries. This time in the constellation of Pictor where, in…