A fragment of a planet that has survived the death of its star has been discovered by University of Warwick astronomers in a disc of debris formed from destroyed planets, which the star ultimately consumes.
Our solar system may contain alien comets that were stolen from another star flying past 4.5 billion years ago. Far away in a distant cluster of young stars, a similar close encounter might have also sent the inter-stellar ...
Water makes up 71% of Earth's surface, but no one knows how or when such massive quantities of water arrived on Earth.
A Southwest Research Institute-led team studied the orientation of distant solar system bodies to bolster the "streaming instability" theory of planet formation.
One of the most important open questions in planetary formation theory is the story of Jupiter's origin. Using sophisticated computer modeling, researchers of the University of Zurich (UZH) and the National Centre of Competence ...
The first interstellar object ever seen in our solar system, named 'Oumuamua, is giving scientists a fresh perspective on the development of planetary systems. A new study by a team including astrophysicists at NASA's Goddard ...
Southwest Research Institute scientists recently modeled the protracted period of bombardment following the Moon's formation, when leftover planetesimals pounded the Earth. Based on these simulations, scientists theorize ...
(Phys.org)—Astronomers have recently presented new results of observations of a nearby planetary system known as 61 Virginis (or 61 Vir for short). The observations were focused on investigating the system's debris disk, ...
A rare opportunity to observe an asteroid at close quarters has unveiled a remarkable rock that seems to be a precursor of a planet, astronomers reported on Thursday.
Researchers of the Universities of Bern and Zürich and of ETH Zürich show how Jupiter was formed. Data collected from meteorites had indicated that the growth of the giant planet was delayed for 2 million years. Now, the ...
