planets
The Strange, Misshapen Orbits of Planet-Forming Disks in a Triple-Star System
Whatever we grow up with, we think of as normal. Our single solitary yellow star seems normal to us, with…
Are the Gaps in These Disks Caused by Planets?
Astronomers like observing distant young stars as they form. Stars are born out of a molecular cloud, and once enough…
Ep. 523: Judging Age & Origins, Pt. 2 Across the Solar System
Today we push our aging curiosity out into the Solar System to ask that simple question: how old is it…
Why Are Planets Round?
Why are the planets round? For that matter, why are all the big objects in the Universe this shape? The…
How Much Stuff is in a Light Year?
Determining how much stuff is a single light year is daunting, considering how big the Milky Way is. But doing…
How Big is Saturn?
Saturn is the second largest planet in the Solar System, so big that you could fit Earth inside it 763…
Four Candidates For Planet 9 Located
A concentrated three-day search for a mysterious, unseen planet in the far reaches of our own solar system has yielded…
Get Ready For The >100 Planet Solar System
If a new definition of planet is adopted by the International Astronomical Union, our Solar System could be home to…
Planet 9 Can’t Run Forever. Two Asteroids Give Up Some Clues
Last year, Caltech astronomers Mike Brown and Konstantin Batygin found indirect evidence for the existence of a large planet in…
Weekly Space Hangout – January 13, 2017: News Roundup Plus Update on Tabby’s Star!
Host: Fraser Cain (@fcain) Guests: Carolyn Collins Petersen (thespacewriter.com / space.about.com / @spacewriter ) Paul M. Sutter (pmsutter.com / @PaulMattSutter)…