How stars form in the smallest galaxies
The question of how small, dwarf galaxies have sustained the formation of new stars over the course of the Universe has long confounded the...
Scientists find new way to track the origin of stardust in meteorites
Scientists have made a key discovery thanks to stardust found in meteorites, shedding light on the origin of crucial chemical elements.
Meteorites are critical to...
This young sub-Neptune-sized planet sheds light onto how planets form and evolve
The detailed characterization of a young planet slightly smaller than Neptune provides insight into how such planets form and evolve.
Astronomers characterized the planet’s mass,...
Some asteroids may have jumped the gap in the early solar system
Using some cosmic detective work, scientists have found evidence that tiny pieces of asteroids from the inner solar system may have crossed a gap...
This young exoplanet challenges planet formation theories
New observations reveal a young exoplanet, orbiting a young star in the Hyades cluster, that is unusually dense for its size and age.
Weighing in...
Scientists take the ultimate Earth selfie
Consider it Earth's ultimate mirror selfie.
In a new study, a team led by astrophysicist Allison Youngblood at the University of Colorado Boulder set out...
Ammonia sparks unexpected, exotic lightning on Jupiter
NASA's Juno spacecraft - orbiting and closely observing the planet Jupiter - has unexpectedly discovered lightning in the planet's upper atmosphere, according to a...
Scientists discover a Saturn-sized planet orbiting small, cool star
Using the supersharp radio “vision” of the continent-wide Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA), astronomers have discovered a Saturn-sized planet closely orbiting a small, cool...
Early Martian landscape probably looked like this image of Devon ice cap
Early Mars was covered in ice sheets, not flowing rivers.
Many valley networks scarring Mars's surface were carved by water melting beneath glacial ice, not...
Surprising number of exoplanets could host life, says new study
Our solar system has one habitable planet -- Earth.
A new study shows other stars could have as many as seven Earth-like planets in the...