Planet formation used to sound straightforward: dust clumps into rocks, rocks grow into worlds, and the rest is detail. A ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: ESO/A. Müller et al. Scientists' best theories on how planets form could be wrong, new ...

Of the more than 6,000 known exoplanets in the Milky Way, so-called Sub-Neptunes are the most common. They are smaller than Neptune and more massive than Earth and believed to have rocky interiors ...

A four-planet system reveals remarkable insights about how planets form and how they change during their lifetime.

New research explains how dust links the formation, evolution, and fate of stars and planets, and why future telescopes are needed to observe these processes in detail ...

Might the first moments of planet formation be more understandable than ever before? Fresh observations suggest that the creation of worlds such as our own is perhaps happening right in front of us, ...

Astronomers have discovered an extrasolar planet with the largest core of any known planet. The discovery is especially exciting to planet formation theorists, because it provides extremely strong ...

Scientists were able to see the moment when planets began to form around a star. Astronomers have witnessed the birth of a solar system beyond our own for the first time. An international team of ...

Star TOI-6894 is just like many in our galaxy, a small red dwarf, and only ~20% of the mass of our Sun. Like many small stars, it is not expected to provide suitable conditions for the formation and ...

A fresh look at past data reveals that exoplanets with masses similar to Jupiter formed much sooner than previously thought, according to new research. A fresh look at past data reveals that ...

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...

The odd atmosphere of a fledgling exoplanet is causing astronomers to question leading theories of how planets form. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.