There’s a smashed planet at the heart of the Helix Nebula
The Helix Nebula, otherwise known as NGC7293, is a favourite among amateur astronomers.
It was one of the first objects that I imaged with my...
This drifting super Jupiter has a surprisingly complex atmosphere
The dividing line between gas giant planets and failed stars is blurry at best.
The isolated planetary-mass object SIMP J013656.5+093347.3 could be either one.
The distinction...
Webb Telescope reveals mysterious weather on a giant planet-like object
An international team of scientists has used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to uncover surprising details about the atmosphere of a strange, giant object...
Scientists discover a mysterious trio in the Kuiper Belt
Astronomers using NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope and the Keck Observatory in Hawaii have found what may be a rare three-body system in the Kuiper...
Water may be older than we thought—forming soon after the big bang
Water is essential for life, but when did it first appear in the universe?
A new study suggests that water may have formed much earlier...
Dying star’s X-Ray mystery solved: A planet was destroyed!
For more than 40 years, astronomers have been puzzled by strange X-ray signals coming from the Helix Nebula, a cloud of gas left behind...
New telescope captures stunning images of baby planets
Our solar system is over 4.5 billion years old, meaning any pictures of its early days are long gone.
However, astronomers at the University of...
Scientists set new limits on dark matter’s mysterious lifetime
Dark matter is one of the greatest mysteries in the universe.
Scientists believe it makes up most of the mass in the cosmos, yet they...
James Webb Telescope finds planet-forming disks last longer than expected
Astronomers have long believed that planet-forming disks—clouds of gas and dust around young stars—last only about 10 million years before disappearing.
But new observations using...
Rogue planets: Born from chaos in young star clusters
Astronomers have long been puzzled by mysterious, planet-sized objects drifting freely through space, unattached to any star.
These cosmic wanderers, called planetary-mass objects (PMOs), weigh...