Moons are planets too
What makes a planet a planet? The answer turns out to be rather contentious. The official definition of a planet, as defined by the International Astronomical Union (IAU) is that a planet must satisfy three conditions:.....»»
Precise locations of more than 1 million galaxies revealed
The Physics of the Accelerating Universe Survey (PAUS), an international collaboration across 14 institutions, has covered a sky area of 50 square degrees, similar to approximately 250 full moons......»»
Potential indicators of life on other planets can be created in a lab
One way to understand the potential for life on far-off planets—those in other solar systems that orbit different stars—is to study a planet's atmosphere. Telescopic images often capture traces of gases that may indicate life and habitable planet.....»»
Advanced civilizations will overheat their planets within 1,000 years, researchers suggest
Earth's average global temperatures have been steadily increasing since the Industrial Revolution. According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (NOAA), Earth has been heating up at a rate of 0.06°C (0.11°F) per decade since 1850—or ab.....»»
Exoplanets could be hiding their atmospheres
Most of the exoplanets we've discovered orbit red dwarf stars. This isn't because red dwarfs are somehow special, simply that they are common. About 75% of the stars in the Milky Way are red dwarfs, so you would expect red dwarf planets to be the mos.....»»
Citizen science collaboration yields precise data on exoplanet WASP-77 A b
A planet swings in front of its star, dimming the starlight we see. Events like these, called transits, provide us with bounties of information about exoplanets—planets around stars other than the sun. But predicting when these special events occur.....»»
Why Do So Many Tiny Asteroids Have Moons?
Scientists are putting a new spin on the creation of binary asteroids.....»»
Astronomers discover new feature in exoplanet distribution that"s between the Neptunian Desert and Savanna
Astronomers have uncovered the "Neptunian Ridge," a newly identified feature in the distribution of exoplanets. This discovery, led by an international team including members of the University of Geneva, The NCCR PlanetS and the Centro de Astrobiolog.....»»
An ambitious mission to Neptune could study both the planet and Triton
Mission concepts to the outer solar system are relatively common, as planetary scientists are increasingly frustrated by our lack of knowledge of the farthest planets. Neptune, the farthest known planet, was last visited by Voyager 2 in the 1980s......»»
Formation of super-Earths proven limited near metal-poor stars
In a new study, astronomers report novel evidence regarding the limits of planet formation, finding that after a certain point, planets larger than Earth have difficulty forming near low-metallicity stars......»»
Astronomers discover iron winds on an ultra-hot exoplanet
An international team of astronomers, including scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) and the PlanetS National Center of Competence in Research, has identified the presence of iron winds in the atmosphere of the ultra-hot Jupiter WASP-76 b.....»»
All Nix Treasure locations in Star Wars Outlaws
There are 15 Nix treasures to find in Star Wars Outlaws across each of the main planets. Here's where you can find them all to get some cool cosmetic items......»»
Webb discovers six new "rogue worlds" that provide clues to star formation
Rogue planets, or free-floating planetary-mass objects (FFPMOs), are planet-sized objects that either formed in interstellar space or were part of a planetary system before gravitational perturbations kicked them out......»»
The evolution of the Trappist-1 planetary system
Planets are bodies that orbit a star and have sufficient gravitational mass that they form themselves into roughly spherical shapes that, in turn, exert gravitational force on smaller objects around them, such as asteroids and moons......»»
Image: Juice snaps moon en route to Earth
During the first step of humankind's first-ever lunar-Earth flyby, ESA's Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (Juice) mission captured this stunning view of the moon......»»
Exoplanets may contain more water than previously thought
We know that the Earth has an iron core surrounded by a mantle of silicate bedrock and water (oceans) on its surface. Science has used this simple planet model until today for investigating exoplanets—planets that orbit another star outside our sol.....»»
Tracking a newly discovered hypervelocity star spotted by citizen scientists
It may seem like the sun is stationary while the planets in its orbit are moving, but the sun is actually orbiting around the Milky Way galaxy at an impressive rate of about 220 kilometers per second—almost half a million miles per hour......»»
Mars and Jupiter get chummy in the night sky. The planets won"t get this close again until 2033
Mars and Jupiter are cozying up in the night sky for their closest rendezvous this decade......»»
Gaia data shows hundreds of tiny moons orbiting around asteroids
New data about binary asteroids comes from ESA's Gaia mission, a space-based telescope which has spotted new potential moons around 350 asteroids......»»
Gaia spots possible moons around hundreds of asteroids
ESA's star-surveying Gaia mission has again proven to be a formidable asteroid explorer, spotting potential moons around more than 350 asteroids not known to have a companion......»»
Astronomers use AI to find elusive stars "gobbling up" planets
Astronomers have recently found hundreds of "polluted" white dwarf stars in our home galaxy, the Milky Way. These are white dwarfs caught actively consuming planets in their orbit. They are a valuable resource for studying the interiors of these dist.....»»