Researchers have observed spectroscopically two distant asteroids and found their orbits are almost identical, suggesting a common origin. The team proposes that these asteroids were once a binary pair that separated after an encounter with a planet beyond Pluto's orbit.
The public can participate in searching for undiscovered worlds in the outer reaches of our solar system and beyond. A new website, Backyard Worlds: Planet 9, uses brief movies made from WISE images to highlight moving objects, which can be discovered by human eyes.
New research reveals that the Milky Way's black hole can create hundreds of planet-mass objects, which are then flung throughout the galaxy. These objects, known as 'spitballs,' could be detected by future telescopes and may pose a challenge to distinguish from free-floating planets.
Researchers found that Neptune-mass worlds are likely the most common type of planet to form in icy outer realms. The study provides insight into the types of planets waiting to be found far from a host star, where scientists suspect planets form most efficiently.
A team of researchers presented a new model for the origin of Saturn's rings based on computer simulations. The study found that Kuiper belt objects were destroyed by tidal forces when passing close to giant planets, forming icy ring systems. This process explains the compositional differences between Saturn and Uranus' rings.
A recent study by Caltech researchers Konstantin Batygin and Mike Brown suggests that the large, undiscovered planet Planet Nine is responsible for the sun's tilted orbit. The planet's massive size and unique orbit cause a multi-billion-year wobble in the solar system, resulting in a six-degree tilt.
Researchers at Ibaraki University used ALMA to observe the disk around TW Hydrae, finding multiple gaps that match theoretical predictions for planet formation. The team estimates a massive, icy giant planet similar in size to Neptune, with a mass likely more than that of Neptune.
A team of researchers has shed light on the origin of centaur rings, revealing a scenario where tidal disruptions lead to disc formation and ring creation. The study suggests that rings around centaurs are more common than previously thought, with many awaiting discovery.
Researchers found carbonic acid, orthocarbonic acid, and clathrate compounds stable under high pressure conditions. The cores of Uranus and Neptune may consist of these exotic materials.
A team of Carnegie scientists has discovered three giant planets in a binary star system composed of stellar 'twins' that are also effectively siblings of our Sun. The findings may help explain the influence that giant planets like Jupiter have over a solar system's architecture.
Research from the University of Warwick suggests that Planet Nine's existence could lead to the elimination of a giant planet and its ejection into interstellar space. The hypothetical planet's presence could cause a 'pinball' effect, hurling planets out of the solar system as the sun dies in around seven billion years.
Researchers at NPL and University of Leicester publish paper showing a new method to calculate spacecraft position using pulsars, increasing space mission capabilities and autonomy. The technique can achieve accuracy of 2km in one direction and 30km in 3D with minimal Earth contact.
Astronomers have discovered a newborn exoplanet, K2-33b, which is five-10 million years old and orbits its star once every five days. The discovery provides an extraordinary snapshot of the planet formation process, allowing researchers to study how planets form and develop.
New calculations suggest the six extreme trans-Neptunian objects, initially used to propose Planet Nine, would have unstable orbits if it exists. The orbits of these objects could escape the Solar System in less than 1.5 billion years.
Researchers find that planets in the red giant habitable zone can stay warm for up to half a billion years, potentially allowing life to thrive. This discovery offers optimism for the chances of life existing on worlds orbiting older stars.
Researchers analyze the Kepler-223 star system, finding a unique orbital configuration similar to that of Jupiter, Saturn, and Uranus. The study suggests that the four planets may have migrated through a disk, getting stuck and maintaining their current orbits, which differs from the formation process of Earth's inner planets.
New research by astronomers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics examines scenarios for Planet Nine's formation and finds most have low probabilities. The simplest solution suggests the solar system created an extra gas giant, boosting Planet Nine into its wider orbit over time.
A CU-Boulder student-built instrument found only six dust particles per cubic mile near Pluto, revealing the vast emptiness of space. The discovery provides insights into the solar system's formation and evolution.
Astronomers have discovered a planetary system with an enormous planet sandwiched between a Sun-like star and a dwarf star. The planet's massive eccentric orbit indicates gravitational influence from the dwarf star, leading to Kozai oscillations that cause it to 'dance' between the two stars.
Phobos will likely break apart and form a ring around Mars due to tidal forces. The debris from Phobos will continue to orbit Mars for millions of years before eventually colliding with the planet.
Experts warn that chemsex, involving psychoactive drugs for extended periods, poses significant health risks, including HIV and mental health problems. Limited data hinders advice from clinicians, and funding for specialized services is waning.
Scientists have simulated 3D exotic clouds on GJ1214b, an exoplanet with a flat spectrum that indicates high-altitude clouds or haze in its atmosphere. The clouds could be of salt and are thought to form deep in the atmosphere before rising into the upper atmosphere.
Researchers at Princeton University have predicted a new phase of superionic ice with unusual conductivity properties. The P21/c-SI phase occurs at high pressures beyond giant ice planets, offering insights into the material's behavior.
Research in Alaska's Yukon Flats reveals massive carbon losses due to increasing fire frequency, challenging assumptions about recent fire activity. The study finds that the region has become a net exporter of carbon, posing a significant threat to the global carbon cycle and climate balance.
Researchers suggest planetary pebbles, icy objects about a foot in diameter, were the building blocks for Jupiter and Saturn. This new model improves solar system formation models, producing the observed structure of the solar system with two gas giants, two ice giants, and a pristine Kuiper belt.
Dr. Martin Duncan's new model proposes that gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn formed through the accumulation of small 'pebbles', allowing cores to form rapidly enough to capture their atmosphere. The successful model predicts the formation of one to four gas giant planets, consistent with the observed outer solar system configuration.
Astronomers have discovered a massive cloud of hydrogen, dubbed 'The Behemoth,' evaporating from a warm Neptune-sized planet orbiting a nearby star. The phenomenon may help explain the existence of Hot Super-Earths and provide insights into how planets lose their outer layers.
Researchers discover a giant cloud of hydrogen gas being burnt off from the atmosphere of GJ 436b, an exoplanet orbiting a warm red dwarf star. The cloud forms a comet-like tail as ultraviolet light pushes hydrogen into spiral motion, with 1000 metric tonnes being lost every second.
A team of scientists has discovered a massive cloud of hydrogen escaping from the atmosphere of GJ436b, a Neptune-sized exoplanet located 33 light years away. This phenomenon may help explain the formation of hot and rocky 'super-earths' and potentially detect extrasolar oceans.
Astronomers have discovered a colossal cloud of hydrogen dispersing from the warm, Neptune-sized planet Gliese 436b. The enormous gaseous tail is about 50 times the size of its parent star and may offer clues on how hot super-Earths form around other stars.
A team of researchers has discovered that the presence of salty impurities in ice can push the formation of electrically conducting ice to occur at higher pressures, potentially explaining the magnetic fields of Uranus and Neptune. This finding challenges current assumptions about the physics of icy planetary bodies.
Researchers at MIT propose that Saturn's polar cyclones are caused by small thunderstorms building up angular momentum, leading to the formation of large and long-lasting vortices. The team developed a model that predicts which planets would form such cyclones based on two parameters: atmospheric energy and storm size.
An international team of astronomers has identified a young planetary system, located 360 light years away, with a disc-shaped bright ring of dust around a star similar to the sun. The disc's brightness and composition are consistent with the Kuiper Belt in our solar system.
Researchers from University of Hawai'i - Mānoa discover that larger dust particles in comet Wild 2 are similar to rocks found in primitive meteorites called chondrites. The smaller-sized dust displays a range of oxygen isotopic compositions, deepening the mystery of Wild 2's past.
Scientists discover complex organic molecules in a protoplanetary disk surrounding a young star, hinting at the universality of prebiotic chemistry. The presence of these molecules, particularly methyl cyanide, suggests that protoplanetary disks are efficient factories for forming complex organic compounds.
Astronomers have detected large amounts of complex organic molecules, including methyl cyanide, in the protoplanetary disc surrounding young star MWC 480. This discovery suggests that these molecules are common in the universe and may be delivered to environments nurturing life.
A new system devised by Dr. Ravit Helled measures Saturn's rotation period, offering a more accurate determination of the planet's internal structure, weather patterns, and formation process. The method applies to other gas planets in the solar system, including Uranus and Neptune.
Researchers propose that a second generation of planets, including super-Earths, existed in the inner solar system before being destroyed by Jupiter's massive migration. This scenario helps explain why Earth and other terrestrial planets have relatively low masses compared to exoplanets orbiting other sun-like stars.
A team of researchers from MIT has detected optical features around Chiron that may signal the presence of a ring system, jets, or a shell of dust. The findings are based on observations of a stellar occultation in 2011, which revealed symmetrical and sharp features near the start and end of the event.
Astronomers found that tidal forces and atmospheric escape can transform mini-Neptune-like worlds into gas-free, potentially habitable planets. This process could provide a pathway to the formation of habitable worlds around M dwarf stars.
Researchers use laser-driven compression to study extreme conditions inside planets, revealing properties of silica that determine planet formation and evolution. The findings suggest large rocky planets may have long-lived oceans at depth and could explain the existence of planets like Neptune and Uranus.
Researchers propose that gravitational forces alter ETNO orbits, indicating the presence of unseen planets. Calculations reveal a possible second planet with characteristics diverging from current theories on solar system formation.
The University of Warwick's Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS) aims to detect small planets from Neptune size down to twice the size of Earth. Researchers hope to study the atmospheres and composition of these super-Earths, which are thought to be common around other stars.
Researchers used NASA wind tunnel to study threshold speeds for particle movement on Titan, finding higher speeds than predicted from Earth-based models. The findings can help understand atmospheric forces on icy moons and planets with thin or thick atmospheres.
A new study by McGill University and UCL finds that Mars experiences a transitional 'macroweather' regime between weather and climate. The sun plays a major role in determining macroweather on Mars, with temperature and wind fluctuations occurring over 1.8 Martian days.
Researchers use Hubble and Spitzer Space Telescopes to study super-Earths, discovering that water worlds are possible compositions. The team's analysis reveals that super-Earths could have acquired their mass by pulling in solid material from distant orbits.
Astronomers have discovered a Uranus-like planet 25,000 light-years away, which orbits one star in a binary system. The planet's composition remains unknown due to its immense distance from the star.
Astronomers have detected water vapour and other molecules on HAT-P-11b, the smallest exoplanet known to harbor these compounds. The discovery is significant for its potential implications on understanding the atmospheres of smaller planets.
Brown dwarf W0855, located just four light-years from our Sun, exhibits frozen clouds of sulfide and water in its atmosphere. This breakthrough finding, published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, provides crucial insights into the atmospheric composition of exoplanet candidates.
The Voyager and IBEX missions have greatly expanded our understanding of the outer heliosphere, providing detailed information about interactions at its edge. Recent studies have focused on the enigmatic ribbon of enhanced emissions, which was only detected by IBEX in 2009.
Astronomers discovered a young binary star system with wildly misaligned planet-forming disks, providing the clearest picture yet of protoplanetary disks around a double star. The system's unique configuration suggests that planets may be influenced by the gravitational pull of a second star, leading to unusual orbits.
Researchers found that planets between 1.7 and 3.9 times the size of Earth are dubbed 'gas dwarfs' with thick atmospheres of hydrogen and helium. The study also revealed that metallicity plays a crucial role in determining planetary composition, with stars hosting gas giants containing about 50% more metals than our Sun.
Astronomers have observed a miniature planet, Chariklo, with two rings of ice and pebbles located between Saturn and Uranus. The discovery was made using a new camera at the Danish telescope in Chile, which revealed two thin rings separated by 14 km.
A distant dwarf planet, 2012 VP113, has been found to orbit beyond the known edge of the Solar System, challenging our understanding of its boundaries. The discovery suggests an enormous, unseen planet could be influencing the orbits of inner Oort cloud objects.
Researchers discovered a compact cloud of poisonous gas formed by ongoing collisions among a swarm of icy bodies, suggesting an unseen planet with Saturn-like mass. The study suggests that the comet swarm could be the remnant of a crash between two Mars-sized icy planets or frozen debris trapped by the gravity of the hypothetical planet.
Astronomers using ALMA telescope discover compact region of carbon monoxide gas swirling around young star Beta Pictoris, suggesting total destruction of comet every five minutes. The detection implies a massive swarm of icy bodies, possibly two Mars-size planets colliding within the past million years.
The asteroid belt's diverse composition suggests that giant planets' migrations reshaped the solar system, potentially delivering water to Earth and influencing its habitability. Small asteroids show particularly varied compositions, suggesting a complex history of collisions and re-deposition.
New measurements of mass reveal that planets smaller than Neptune have low density due to extensive gas coverage, while larger ones have higher density. This suggests these planets formed quickly after their star's birth, contrasting with Earth's late formation.
The discovery of KOI-314c reveals a planet weighing as much as Earth but 60% larger in diameter, indicating a thick, gaseous atmosphere. The planet's mass was measured using transit timing variations (TTV), a young method for studying low-mass planets.
Astronomers have detected clear evidence of clouds in the atmosphere of GJ 1214b, a super-Earth exoplanet, using data from the Hubble Space Telescope. The findings suggest that high-altitude clouds blanket the planet, hiding information about its composition and behavior.