Large and small planets are born from very different circumstances, according to data from NASA’s now-retired space telescope ...

Asteroids are rocky objects that orbit the Sun, just like planets do. There are millions of asteroids of very different shapes and sizes. Some are almost spheres, like planets, but most are ...

"What we found is that right around the size of Neptune, planets go from being almost always on circular orbits to very often having elliptical orbits," team leader and UCLA researcher Gregory ...

A new study presents a compelling new model for the formation of super-Earths and mini-Neptunes -- planets that are 1 to 4 times the size of Earth and among the most common in our galaxy.

Narrator: As the solar system grew, four rocky planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars, were created closest to the Sun. Made of rocks and metals, they have solid surfaces and a central core of ...

"Comparing the frequency of exoplanets of certain sizes around stars of different ages can tell us a lot about the processes that shape planet formation," Fernandes said. "If planets commonly form ...

concentrated on understanding the intricate dynamics leading to the reduction in size of specific sub-Neptune planets. Christiansen's team suggested a compelling link between the cores of select ...

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Details such as how long it takes the planet to complete an orbit and how much light it blocks as it passes in front of the star offer clues to its size and orbit. Astronomers can make a few ...

In 1992 astronomers reported the first planet-size masses around a dead star, the pulsar PSR1257+12, which sits 2,000 light-years away. Three years later came news of the first known exoplanet ...

A surprising chemical difference between Pluto and Sedna, another dwarf planet in the distant Kuiper Belt, is helping scientists nail down their respective masses, a new study reports. The Kuiper ...