We’ve seen a planet being born while its star is still forming
17 November 2020
Astronomers may have seen a Jupiter-like planet begin to form while its host star is still growing, proving a long-held theory about planet formation
-
Subject
-
Section
-
Type
-
Topics
-
Author
-
Issue
-
Premium
Found 275 results for dwarf planet
We can harness the solar wind to sail to the farthest corners of space
28 October 2020
Rockets eventually run out of fuel, which limits how far they can go. But now we are mastering the art of solar sailing, we can expect to keep exploring into distant, uncharted space
When things look bleak, thinking in terms of ‘hope horizons’ can help
23 September 2020
With wildfires raging, the outlook looks bleak from San Francisco. Thinking about the future in terms of “hope horizons” can help, writes Annalee Newitz
Strange worlds unlike Earth may be our best bet to find alien life
26 August 2020
From rogue worlds that roam the cosmos alone to Tatooines that orbit two suns, astronomers are expanding our definition of habitable exoplanets
Earth-sized exoplanets around small stars may have intense hurricanes
14 July 2020
Hurricanes may be common on exoplanets that orbit small, red stars over the course of about 10 days, and they are most likely to form on planets that are tidally locked, and so have one side with perpetual daytime
Puzzle #67: What relationship do the digits in this prime number have?
8 July 2020
Can you solve this week’s puzzle My Prime? Plus the answer to puzzle #66 set by Will Taylor
Pluto's tiny moons may have been chipped off its biggest moon
30 June 2020
Pluto has one very large moon, Charon, and four tiny ones, leaving astronomers confused as to how they formed. The answer may be that the quartet used to be part of Charon, not Pluto
Pluto formed quickly with a deep ocean covering its entire surface
30 March 2020
Pluto’s ancient oceans may have come about just after the icy world was born, melting from ice in a process that suggests the dwarf planet took just 30,000 years to form
Solar flares and cosmic rays may make Proxima b warm enough for life
12 March 2020
Proxima Centauri b, a planet orbiting our nearest stellar neighbour, is being blasted with cosmic rays and solar flares – which could make it warm enough to host life
A star exploded into a supernova but it weirdly isn't very bright
3 February 2020
Astronomers have spotted a star that is exploding with a brightness 100 times less than expected – and it’s a mystery exactly why the explosion is so dim
