Find uplifting stories about heroes, innovations, and solutions
5787 results for "planet nine"
Astronomers are finding new clues about a hidden giant planet beyond Neptune, and the mystery is getting more exciting. Fresh discoveries suggest Planet Nine could be real but lurking much farther away than anyone expected.
NASA's Hubble telescope discovered the largest planet-forming disk ever seen, stretching 400 billion miles across with bizarre one-sided structures that could rewrite our understanding of how planets are born. The massive disk contains enough material to create multiple giant planets.
The James Webb Space Telescope captured stunning images of two planet-forming disks, and one may contain a newborn planet clearing its path through cosmic dust. Scientists are watching planetary birth in real time, 480 light-years away.
NASA's newest space telescope will discover more planets in five years than humanity has found in all of history combined. The Roman Space Telescope, launching in 2027, will also create the first real census of mysterious rogue planets drifting through space without stars.
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope just captured the largest planet-forming disk ever seen, and it's nothing like scientists expected. The enormous cosmic nursery could reshape our understanding of how planets are born.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope just gave us a front-row seat to planet formation, capturing stunning images of two young stars surrounded by the cosmic dust and gas that will become new worlds. These images reveal exactly how planets grow from tiny particles into massive spheres orbiting distant suns.
Award-winning photographer Josh Dury captured a rare six-planet parade stretching across nearly 180 degrees of sky from England's southern coast. The cosmic lineup, visible through February 28, includes Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune in one breathtaking image.
A stunning planetary parade is lighting up evening skies this week, bringing six planets into view at once. With just an hour after sunset and a clear view of the horizon, stargazers can witness this rare cosmic alignment.
Early March offers a dazzling celestial treat as four bright planets shine together in the evening sky, with Mercury making its best appearance of 2025. Even better, no telescope needed.
Jupiter, Venus, and Mercury will create a stunning "planetary bridge" visible in the western sky on May 27, offering skywatchers a rare celestial show. You won't need fancy equipment to catch this mini parade of planets stretching between the constellations of Gemini and Taurus.
Astronomers discovered four "baby" planets caught in the act of transforming into the galaxy's most common type of world. The breakthrough solves a mystery about how super-Earths and sub-Neptunes take shape.
The James Webb Space Telescope found a supergiant planet that collected metal-rich materials as it formed, solving a cosmic mystery about how the universe's largest planets are born. This discovery could rewrite our understanding of planet formation.
This weekend, six planets will line up on the same side of the sun, creating a rare viewing opportunity visible from Earth. Saturn is your best chance to catch the cosmic show before the moment passes.
Astronomers have captured four young planets still forming around a distant star, revealing how they evolve from puffy gas giants into the common worlds found throughout our galaxy. The discovery fills a crucial gap in understanding how planetary systems like ours come to be.
%2Fhttps%3A%2F%2Ftf-cmsv2-smithsonianmag-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Ffiler_public%2F8c%2F04%2F8c0478a5-02e7-46e0-beb8-0fa04e7244e9%2Ftougaloo-nine.png)
Nine Black college students walked into a whites-only Mississippi library in 1961, knowing they'd be arrested for simply wanting to read. Their brave sit-in sparked a movement that deserves far more recognition in civil rights history.
The groundbreaking nature documentary series Planet Earth is marking its 20th anniversary with a celebration of the most breathtaking wildlife moments ever filmed. Among the highlights: the extraordinary courtship dance of New Guinea's birds of paradise.
Scientists using the world's largest radio telescope have captured the first detailed images of planetary systems going through their violent "teenage" phase, solving a mystery about how planets grow up. The discovery helps explain Earth's moon formation and fills a major gap in our understanding of how solar systems evolve. #
New research reveals that binary star systems might be better planet factories than single stars like our sun. Tatooine-style worlds with twin suns could be the norm rather than the exception across our galaxy.
A rare meteorite discovered in the Sahara Desert contains the first definitive proof of an ancient planet as large as Earth's moon that existed 4.5 billion years ago. The discovery rewrites what scientists thought they knew about how our early solar system formed. #
Scientists discovered that moons orbiting starless planets drifting through space could stay warm enough for life for billions of years. A thick hydrogen atmosphere might trap heat and support liquid water even in the darkest corners of our galaxy.
Showing 20 of 5787