The formation of planets

An artist's impression of the planet K2-18b orbiting a red dwarf star 124 light-years away. The planet is thought to have a thick gas envelope and no global ocean. Credit: ESA/Hubble, M. Kornmesser

Earth may not be so special – new study challenges previous assumptions about water on distant planets

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Artist's impression of dust and tiny grains in a protoplanetary disk around a young star. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Solar system is born: Planet-forming pebbles discovered around two young stars

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For the first time, protoplanetary disks rich in centimeter-sized pebbles have been discovered around two stars about 450 light-years away, allowing a unique glimpse into the early stages of solar system formation.
Star formation region. Illustration: depositphotos.com

Plasma researchers uncover new mechanism for planet formation

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Asymmetric vibrations in plasma disks may explain how planets form around stars and supermassive black holes
The combination of theoretical models and empirical data creates a new perspective for understanding the complex interactions between young stars and their environment. Credit: Paolo Padoan, Liubin Pan, Veli-Matti Pelkonen, Troels Haugbølle and Ake Nordlund

Young stars feed on chaos to build planets

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New research reveals that early stars do not operate in isolation – but rather absorb material from their chaotic surroundings using a cosmic adsorption mechanism, which directly affects the formation of planets.
The Webb Space Telescope has provided evidence that contradicts existing theories by confirming the existence of long-lived protoplanetary disks in heavy-element-deficient environments, suggesting the need to change our understanding of planet formation in the early universe. Credit: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, Olivia C. Jones (UK ATC), Guido de Markey (ESTEC), Margaret Meixner (USRA)

The James Webb Space Telescope challenges theories about the formation of planets in the early universe

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New discoveries indicate that protoplanetary discs can survive longer in environments poor in heavy elements, contrary to previous assumptions
Many objects have been discovered at the edge of the solar system. Figure: Avi Blizovsky using FLEX-1

Astronomers discover mysterious new objects beyond the edge of the solar system

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Observations made with the Subaru Telescope in Hawaii have revealed new objects in the outer region of the Solar System, pointing to a large, unknown population beyond the Kuiper Belt.
Image: This artist's rendering of a planet-forming disk surrounding a young star shows a swirling "pancake" of hot gas and dust from which planets form. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, the team obtained detailed images showing the layered, conical structure of the disc's winds - streams of gas blowing out into space. Credit: National Astronomical Observatory of Japan (NAOJ)

Winds of Change: The James Webb Space Telescope Reveals Elusive Details in Young Star Systems

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Astronomers have discovered new details about gas flows that shape planet-forming disks and shape them over time, offering a glimpse into how our solar system likely formed
A spectacular sunset over an observatory in a sky full of colorful clouds.

An unexpected discovery of new celestial bodies in the outer solar system amazes astronomers

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Magnesium oxide, the first component that crystallized in the process of creating a planet slightly larger than Earth. The image was prepared using DALEE and should not be considered a scientific image

Scientists discover the first building blocks in the formation of super-Earths

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Scientists observed for the first time how atoms in a magnesium oxide molecule change and dissociate under extremely harsh conditions, and gained new insights into this important mineral in the Earth's mantle that is known to influence the formation of planets
Artist impression of the density of WASP-193b compared to cotton candy. Credit: University of Liege

Astronomers have discovered a strange "cosmic mystery" - a giant planet as airy as cotton candy

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WASP-193b, an unusually low-density giant planet orbiting a distant Sun-like star. It is about 1,200 light-years away from Earth and 50% larger than Jupiter, but seven times less massive
Astronomers have found water vapor in the disk around a young star right where planets are likely to form. In this image, the new observations from the ESO partner Atacama Large Millimeter/Submillimeter Array (ALMA) show the water vapor in shades of blue. Near the center of the disc, where the young star lives, the environment is hotter and the gas is brighter. The red rings are previous ALMA observations showing the distribution of dust around the star.Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/S. Facchini et al.

Astronomers discover a new connection between water and the formation of planets

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An amount of water at least three times greater than the water in all the Earth's oceans was discovered in the inner disk of the young Sun-like star HL Tauri, 450 light-years away from Earth, in the Taurus group
Imaginary illustration of an extrasolar gas giant as seen from one of its moons. Illustration: shutterstock

A giant planet orbiting a red dwarf blurs the line between large planets and small stars

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Early evidence for extrasolar planets in century-old photographic plates

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Artist's rendering of a red dwarf and a gas giant type planet surrounding it. Photo: DAVID A. AGUILAR (CFA/HARVARD-SMITHSONIAN)

Young red dwarfs may teach us how planets form

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