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:.....»»
Martian meteorite upsets planet formation theory
A new study of an old meteorite contradicts current thinking about how rocky planets like the Earth and Mars acquire volatile elements such as hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, nitrogen and noble gases as they form. The work is published June 16 in Science......»»
Simulations reveal hydrodynamics of planetary engulfment by expanding star
When our sun exhausts the hydrogen fuel in its core some 5 billion years from now, it will expand to become a red giant, engulfing the inner planets. The dynamics and possible outcomes of planetary engulfment are poorly understood, but it is thought.....»»
Blockbuster Starfield trailer shows off ship combat, 1,000 explorable planets
The new Starfield trailer shows gameplay, character customization, ship creation, and how big the game actually is with over 100 solar systems to explore......»»
Ground-breaking number of brown dwarfs discovered
Brown dwarfs, mysterious objects that straddle the line between stars and planets, are essential to our understanding of both stellar and planetary populations. However, only 40 brown dwarfs could be imaged around stars in almost three decades of sea.....»»
Study explores the promises and pitfalls of evolutionary genomics
The second century Alexandrian astronomer and mathematician Claudius Ptolemy had a grand ambition. Hoping to make sense of the motion of stars and the paths of planets, he published a magisterial treatise on the subject, known as the Almagest. Ptolem.....»»
The stunning new planets discovered in 2022, so far
It's been a landmark year for discovering new, fascinating worlds. In 2022, NASA surpassed 5,000 confirmed exoplanets, which are alien worlds beyond our solar system. These include a diversity of distant planets, including (perhaps rocky) super-Earth.....»»
Rare Sight For Amateur Astronomers as Five Planets Align
Amateur astronomers are preparing for a heavenly treat from Friday as the five planets visible to the naked eye line up in order of their distance from the sun across the pre-dawn sky. From a report: For those who can face the early start, and have a.....»»
ESA conducts first tests of exoplanet hunter Plato in space-like conditions
The ESA is working on a new exoplanet hunter mission called Plato, to be launched in 2026. Astronomers expect to discover Earth-sized planets within the habitable zone thanks to Plato's ability to spot smaller planets in larger orbits than current te.....»»
Cooperative molecular networks may have been the spark of life on other planets
Darwin's theory of evolution probably isn't the full explanation for the emergence of life. Even in a barren environment conducive to fierce competition, cooperation between molecular networks may have spawned life on Earth and, by extension, elsewhe.....»»
Star Trek Wines: the Next Generation. Ars Technica Taste-Tests Klingon Blood Wine
Would you drink a glass of Klingon Blood Wine? Or Cardassian Kanar Red Blend? Maybe you'd prefer the Andorian Blue Premium Chardonnay, or the United Federation of Planets Special Reserve Sauvignon Blanc... Star Trek wines — a collaboration be.....»»
How graphene and algae could help build space habitats
Scientists are researching how people might construct homes to live on other planets......»»
The chaotic early phase of the solar system
Before the Earth and other planets formed, the young sun was still surrounded by cosmic gas and dust. Over the millennia, rock fragments of various sizes formed from the dust. Many of these became building blocks for the later planets. Others did not.....»»
CHES survey could detect exoplanets within a few dozen light-years of Earth using astrometry
NASA has indicated that 5,030 extrasolar planets have been confirmed in 3,772 systems, with another 8,974 candidates awaiting confirmation. With next-generation instruments like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) coming online, the number and dive.....»»
Planets of binary stars as possible homes for alien life
Nearly half of sun-size stars are binary. According to University of Copenhagen research, planetary systems around binary stars may be very different from those around single stars. This points to new targets in the search for extraterrestrial life f.....»»
The Juice mission is almost ready to explore Jupiter’s icy moons
The European Space Agency's Juice spacecraft is getting ready for its mission to Jupiter to see if its icy moons could potentially host life......»»
These are the best places to search for habitable exomoons
Our solar system contains eight planets and more than 200 moons. The large majority of those moons have no chance of being habitable, but some of them—Europa and Enceladus, for example—are strong candidates in the search for life......»»
Dynamics of ocean worlds likely controlled by their rotation
Discovering that many of the large moons in the outer solar system may host significant subsurface oceans of liquid water has been a key advance in planetary science. These moons represent some of the most promising habitats for life beyond Earth, bu.....»»
Even stars doomed to die as supernovae can have planets
Ninety percent of all exoplanets discovered to date (there are now more than 5,000 of them) orbit around stars the same size or smaller than our sun. Giant stars seem to lack planetary companions, and this fact has serious implications for how we und.....»»
Humanity will need to survive about 400,000 years if we want any chance of hearing from an alien civilization
If there are so many galaxies, stars, and planets, where are all the aliens, and why haven't we heard from them? Those are the simple questions at the heart of the Fermi Paradox. In a new paper, a pair of researchers ask the next obvious question: Ho.....»»
Scientists describe a gravity telescope that could image exoplanets
In the time since the first exoplanet was discovered in 1992, astronomers have detected more than 5,000 planets orbiting other stars. But when astronomers detect a new exoplanet, we don't learn a lot about it: We know that it exists and a few feature.....»»