Read the latest positive news, breakthroughs, and inspiring stories about planetary formation, curated daily by BrightWire.
The James Webb Space Telescope spotted young star systems experiencing planet-forming crashes similar to the collision that created our Moon 4.5 billion years ago. These discoveries give scientists their first clear window into how rocky planets like Earth were born.
Scientists discovered something once thought impossible: a Jupiter-sized planet forming around a dead star, rewriting what we know about planetary systems. The breakthrough came from 25-year-old telescope data that a doctoral student finally decoded.
NASA's Webb telescope spotted debris from planet-smashing collisions around 21 young star systems, giving scientists their best look yet at how rocky worlds like Earth form. The findings reveal the violent birth process that likely created our own moon billions of years ago.
Scientists have found the largest "super-puff" planets ever discovered, with densities lighter than cotton candy. These cosmic oddities are challenging what we know about how planets form. ---
A rare meteorite from the Sahara reveals it came from a massive, moon-sized world that existed in our solar system's first four million years. The discovery rewrites what we know about how quickly planets formed in our cosmic neighborhood.
A meteorite discovered in the Sahara Desert is revealing the existence of an ancient planet that orbited our young Sun billions of years ago. This rare space rock is helping scientists unlock mysteries about how our solar system formed.
Scientists discovered a ring-shaped region beyond Jupiter's orbit that acted like a planetary nursery, creating the building blocks of planets when our solar system was young. This breakthrough explains the mysterious origins of rare meteorites that still land on Earth today.
A cosmic dust trap just past Jupiter's orbit churned out wildly different space rocks for millions of years, revealing how our Solar System's building blocks formed. The discovery finally explains why ancient meteorites that crash to Earth come in such varied types.
New research reveals Earth and Mars formed from nearly identical cosmic material, rewriting our understanding of how our planet came to be. The discovery shows Jupiter's gravity kept Earth local, building almost entirely from inner Solar System dust.
NASA's Webb Telescope just proved that a planet 15 times heavier than Jupiter formed the same way Earth did, rewriting the rules on how massive planets can grow. The discovery shows that giant worlds can build up piece by piece, even when they get enormously heavy.
Astronomers have captured a rare glimpse of two planets actively forming around a 5.4-million-year-old star, offering our best look yet at what our own solar system looked like 4.6 billion years ago. The discovery could help scientists understand how Earth and its neighboring planets came to be.
Researchers have cracked the code on how adorable snowman-shaped objects form in the outer solar system. The discovery reveals a gentle cosmic dance that's been happening for billions of years.