planets

Latest in planets

New research suggests that Jupiter used to be at least twice as big as it is today, during a crucial moment in the Solar System's evolution.

Scientists Find Jupiter Used to Be More Than Twice Its Current Size

By Frank Landymore

Astronomers have detected a promising sign of a ninth planet lurking at the the farthest reaches of the Solar System.

Scientists Say They May Have Spotted a Huge Hidden Planet Deep in Our Solar System

By Frank Landymore

Research shows that about one in 12 stars have devoured a planet, suggesting that stable planetary systems are less common than believed.

High Percentage of Stars Have Eaten a Planet, Research Finds

By Frank Landymore

The observation of the donut-shaped cloud of debris is believed to be the first of a planetary collision's afterglow.

Astronomers Say Two Giant Ice Planets Collided, Leaving Donut-Shaped Wreckage

By Frank Landymore

Scientists have long known that Mercury shrank — but new research suggests that that process is ongoing, and leaving wrinkles behind.

Mercury Has Wrinkles Because It’s Shrinking, Scientists Say

By Noor Al-Sibai

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has spotted hundreds of lonely "planets" that are floating through space without parent stars.

James Webb Space Telescope

James Webb Spots Numerous Pairs of Planets, Hanging Out With No Stars

By Victor Tangermann

The James Webb Space Telescope just got a close look at TRAPPIST-1 c, a rocky exoplanet located roughly 40 lightyears away.

James Webb Space Telescope

The Webb Space Telescope Just Zoomed in Super Close on an Alien Planet

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

Until recently, scientists had never spotted a star in the act of consuming a planet — and eventually, it will happen to Earth, too.

Scientists Spot Tragic Planet Being Eaten by a Dying Star

By Noor Al-Sibai

Look West to the horizon around sunset, and you should be able to witness five planets — Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus, and Mars — lined up near the Moon.

Five Planets Are Aligning in the Sky Right Now

By Maggie Harrison Dupré

Astronomers have spotted a gas giant planet in the vicinity of a red dwarf star, and its density is so low that it's comparable to a marshmallow.

Astronomers Puzzled by “Marshmallow” Planet With Unusually Low Density

By Frank Landymore

A new study suggests that Jupiter may be our solar system's hungriest hippo as it formed by eating a bunch of baby planets.

Voracious Jupiter Ate a Bunch of Baby Planets, Scientists Say

By Noor Al-Sibai

A team of scientists have posit the idea “planetary intelligence,” which describes the collective knowledge and cognition of an entire planet.

Astrobiologists Suggest the Earth Itself May Be an Intelligent Entity

By Tony Ho Tran

Pluto may be reinstated to its position as a planet — and other celestial bodies may join it.

Scientists Call for Making Pluto a Planet Again

By Noor Al-Sibai

Every picture of the solar system shows Venus as our closest neighbor. Sure, it comes closer to Earth than any planet, but on average Mercury is closer.

Mercury Is Every Planet in the Solar System’s Closest Neighbor

By Dan Robitzski

Researchers release 20 images of the protoplanetary disks surrounding young stars, providing a glimpse into the process of planet formation.

Science & Energy

Beautiful New Images Show Clouds of Dust Forming Into Planets

By Kristin Houser

These Lonely Planets Drift Through Space Without Orbiting Stars

These Lonely Planets Drift Through Space Without Orbiting Stars

By Dan Robitzski