Read the latest positive news, breakthroughs, and inspiring stories about planet formation, curated daily by BrightWire.
Astronomers discovered the first-ever planet born from materials a dying star cast off, solving a 27-year mystery from Hubble telescope data. The rare "second-generation" planet orbits a white dwarf and will remain in the habitable zone for millions of years.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope discovered dusty signatures from 21 massive cosmic crashes that reveal how planets form and collide. The findings offer new clues about violent impacts similar to the one that created Earth's Moon.
Scientists used the James Webb Space Telescope to watch worlds crash together in distant solar systems, revealing how Earth and our moon likely formed billions of years ago. The discovery explains one of space's most violent and beautiful processes.
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope discovered how young planetary systems survive violent collisions similar to the impact that created Earth's Moon. The findings offer hope for understanding how rocky planets like ours form and thrive.
Astronomers have confirmed the youngest planet ever discovered, offering an unprecedented window into how worlds like Earth form. The infant planet, less than 1 million years old, is still growing inside its star's cosmic nursery.
The James Webb Space Telescope just revealed a spectacular cosmic nursery where 70 infant stars are building their own planetary systems inside one of the most intense environments in our galaxy. The discovery gives scientists their first clear look at how planets form in extreme conditions.
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 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.
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.
The James Webb Space Telescope has photographed two stunning protoplanetary disks where brand new planets are forming right now, 450 light-years away. Scientists can watch the same process that created our own Earth 4.5 billion years ago.
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.
Scientists discovered Earth stayed habitable only because oxygen levels hit a perfect sweet spot 4.6 billion years ago. Too much or too little oxygen during planet formation, and life-essential elements would have vanished.