Tag Archives: planets

A tiny meteorite is rewriting what scientists thought they knew about the origins of our solar system. New evidence found in shavings from a meteorite known as Northwest Africa 12264 — a 50-gram (1.8 ounces) piece of space rock that is believed to have formed in the outer solar system — suggests that rocky planets like Earth and distant icy …

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have discovered the earliest seeds of rocky planets forming in the gas around a baby sun-like star, providing a precious peek into the dawn of our own solar system. It’s an unprecedented snapshot of “time zero,” scientists reported Wednesday, when new worlds begin to gel. “We’ve captured a direct glimpse of the hot region …

On the night of July 15, a striking conjunction of the moon, Saturn, and Neptune will unfold in the eastern sky, offering stargazers across the United States a chance to witness three celestial bodies clustered tightly together. As reported by Space.com, the event places all three within just a few degrees of each other — a rare optical alignment that …

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have discovered the earliest seeds of rocky planets forming in the gas around a baby sun-like star, providing a precious peek into the dawn of our own solar system. It’s an unprecedented snapshot of “time zero,” scientists reported Wednesday, when new worlds begin to gel. “We’ve captured a direct glimpse of the hot region …

Many rocky planets from beyond our solar system glow with volcanic scars, yet their crusts sit frozen in place, locked together like a single giant shield. Is it possible that these planets host conditions that would be friendly to life? Matthew Reinhold, a doctoral researcher, and Laura Schaefer, an assistant professor at Stanford University, created detailed computer models showing that …

Recent research from Stanford University has revealed a groundbreaking finding about rocky exoplanets that seem inhospitable due to their volcanic activity. Many of these planets, which display volcanic scars but have static crusts, may actually harbor conditions conducive to life. The study, led by doctoral researcher Matthew Reinhold and assistant professor Laura Schaefer, shows that despite their outwardly harsh environments, …

A key method of forming planets finally has observational evidence, thanks to a network of radio telescopes in the U.K. that have resolved the existence of a huge abundance of centimeter-sized pebbles that will stick together and grow into planets around two young stars. “This is potentially enough to build planetary systems larger than our own solar system,” said Katie …