Frankenstein planets may form from the wreckage of dead worlds
17 May 2018
When stars die, they can explode and destroy any planets nearby. But new worlds could arise out of the debris and some could reach the mass of 10 Earths
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Found 677 results for dwarf planet
Life on nearest exoplanet may have been wiped out by superflare
10 April 2018
Bad news for life near Proxima Centauri – the star has been seen emitting explosive blasts of radiation that would destroy the ozone on its Earth-like planet
Gooey nitrogen ice may make Pluto’s crater-free heart look young
27 March 2018
The surface of Sputnik Planitia, part of a heart-shaped plain on Pluto, has no craters at all. They may have been filled in by soft, flowing nitrogen ice
Astronaut pee could keep plants alive in space for decades
23 March 2018
On missions to Mars and beyond, astronauts will have to grow their own food. Urine has been shown in space simulations to keep wheat and soy alive over 20 years
Dwarf planet Ceres has a water cycle but it’s not like Earth’s
14 March 2018
Ceres, a distant dwarf planet, hosts sheets of ice just under its surface. In the summer, some of this ice may sublimate and coat shadowy crater walls in frost
Oceans on alien worlds may form when the air explodes in flames
14 February 2018
When hydrogen and oxygen combine in a planet’s atmosphere, they can ignite into a ball of fire and then leave behind liquid water oceans that would be good for life
Interstellar: The bizarre visitor from a far-off solar system
31 January 2018
First seen in October 2017, the space rock 'Oumuamua looks like a skyscraper tumbling through space – and challenges our ideas of how planetary systems form
We may be able to see mountains and valleys on distant worlds
12 January 2018
If alien planets have canyons and mountains like ours, we may be able to catch a glimpse of them in an exoplanet’s shadow as it passes in front of its star
Hidden exoplanets could be revealed by echoing light
11 January 2018
Reflected light from a star’s flares may help us find otherwise invisible worlds. These exoplanets could be hit by powerful blasts, but may still host life
Planet X: We are closing in on the solar system's new occupant
13 December 2017
Evidence for a new body perhaps the size of Neptune way out in the shadows is building – but if there is a ninth planet, it’s unlike any we have seen
