Planetary scientists have found that sub-Neptunian planets that dance at the same time as the rest of their planetary systems are less dense than those that don’t. Although they are noticeably distant from the solar system, the most common planets in the Milky Way are known as “sub-Neptunes,” or worlds between Earth and the ice… Read More »
Astronomers may have finally solved the mystery of how extremely dense dead stars called white dwarfs keep their heavy metal shells fresh by cannibalizing what’s left of their planetary systems. Our Sun will turn into a white dwarf in about five billion years after exhausting the hydrogen that fuels nuclear fusion in its core. So… Read More »
At the end of 2023, astronomers made a surprising discovery in the Orion Nebula. Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), the team found 40 double planetary mass objects, none of which were orbiting a star. These are called Jupiter Mass Binary Objects, or JuMBOs. In short, this discovery directly challenged both the theories of… Read More »
A dead star, devouring its own planets like an angry cosmic zombie, is scarred by planetary debris. The printed metal scar is located on the surface of this white dwarf star; When the Sun dies, such stellar remnants will remain behind, indicating the existence of “life after death” for planetary systems. The scar on the… Read More »
Illustration of an Earth-like planet watched by a giant Jupiter-like planet with a small sun in the distance. Scientists have created a first-of-its-kind catalog of planets outside the solar system that exhibit Earth-like sizes and are watched over by a Jupiter-like “big brother.” The catalog, known as the Kepler Giant Planet Search, took a decade… Read More »
Astronomers have discovered not one but two planetary systems with sun-like stars at their hearts. Both of these systems contain mini-Neptune planets, and one hosts a massive “super-Jupiter” world, each many times larger than Earth. Studying the realms can lead to a better understanding of how planets form and evolve around sun-like stars (also known… Read More »
New research has a pair of scientists channeling Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars: A New Hope in the detection of two moons orbiting planets outside the solar system. In short, they’re not sure that humanity’s first exomoon detections were accurate. In fact, the same findings also showed that echoeons in general can only manifest themselves… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and more. Astronomers used two different exoplanet-detecting satellites to solve a cosmic mystery and reveal a rare family of six planets located about 100 light-years from Earth. This discovery could help scientists unlock the secrets of planet… Read More »
Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news about fascinating discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and more. Astronomers used two different exoplanet-detecting satellites to solve a cosmic mystery and reveal a rare family of six planets located about 100 light-years from Earth. This discovery could help scientists unlock the secrets of planet… Read More »