Planetary Formation

Planetary Surfaces: Why study them? Can they help us find life elsewhere?

Universe Today recently explored the importance of studying impact craters and what they can teach us about finding life beyond…

3 months ago

Half of this Exoplanet is Covered in Lava

Astronomers working with TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite) have discovered a planet that's been left out in the Sun too…

3 months ago

Planetesimals Are Buffeted by Wind in their Nebula, Throwing Debris into Space

Before planets form around a young star, the protosolar disk is populated with innumerable planetesimals. Over time, these planetesimals combine…

4 months ago

The Youngest Planetary Disks Ever Seen

How long does planet formation take? Maybe not as long as we thought, according to new research. Observations with the…

4 months ago

Three Iron Rings Around A Star Show Where Planets are Forming

Researchers using the ESO's Very Large Telescope Interferometer (VLTI) have found three iron rings around a young star about 500…

4 months ago

This Planet is Way Too Big for its Star

Scientists love outliers. Outliers are nature's way of telling us what its boundaries are and where its limits lie. Rather…

5 months ago

A Planetary System With Six Sub-Neptunes Locked in Perfect Resonance

Researchers using TESS and Cheops data found a system with six sub-Neptune-sized planets, all orbiting in direct resonance with each…

5 months ago

ALMA Takes Next-Level Images of a Protoplanetary Disk

The ESO's Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) is perched high in the Chilean Andes. ALMA is made of 66 high-precision…

5 months ago

JWST Follows Neon Signs Toward New Thinking on Planet Formation

Everyone knows that the James Webb Space Telescope is a ground-breaking infrared space telescope that's helping us better understand the…

5 months ago

JWST Searches for Planets in the Fomalhaut System

The Fomalhaut system is nearby in astronomical terms, and it's also one of the brightest stars in the night sky.…

6 months ago