New studies offer a clearer picture of how the outer solar system formed and evolved based on analyses of trans-Neptunian objects (TNOs) and centaurs. The findings reveal the distribution of ices in ...

Modern astronomy is giving us unprecedented views of the asteroids, comets, and other small bodies that litter our cosmic ...

Are planets in the solar system that are closer to the Sun older than the ones further away? – Gavriel, age 10, Paducah, Kentucky A cloud of collapsing gas created our Sun, the first thing to form in ...

About 4.6 billion years ago, the Solar System formed from a cloud of dust and gas collapsing in on itself due to gravity. The Sun, planets, and eventually Earth formed out of the cloud. But when did ...

The Sun's formation caused temperature differences in the surrounding disk of gas and dust. Inner, hotter regions formed rocky planets from less volatile elements. Outer, colder regions allowed ...

Stephen has degrees in science (Physics major) and arts (English Literature and the History and Philosophy of Science), as well as a Graduate Diploma in Science Communication. Stephen has degrees in ...

A new planetary system is forming around the young star HOPS-315. Scientists observed the earliest stages of planet formation around another star. The process involves the cooling and solidifying of ...

Backscatter electron (BSE), inverse pole figure (IPF) and grain reference orientation deviation (GROD) maps of olivine within NWA 12264. Credit: Communications Earth & Environment (2025). DOI: 10.1038 ...