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The International Astronomical Union (IAU) defines a planet as a celestial body orbiting the Sun, possessing sufficient mass for a nearly spherical shape, and having cleared its orbital neighborhood ...

For life to develop on a planet, certain chemical elements are needed in sufficient quantities. Phosphorus and nitrogen are essential. Phosphorus is vital for the formation of DNA and RNA, which store ...

The wonders of life on Earth are endless, but all that may never have come to pass were it not for the planet having the perfect amount of oxygen at birth.

A star about 600 light-years away is giving astronomers a front-row view to the environments in which rocky planets like Earth form around the most abundant stars in the universe. Called ISO-ChaI 147, ...

Among the uncounted stars in the universe may be worlds with environments unlike anything we have ever experienced. From crushing gravity and toxic atmospheres to methane seas and eternal storms, ...

Astronomers have produced the most detailed map yet of dark matter, revealing the invisible framework that shaped the Universe long before stars and galaxies formed. Using powerful new observations ...

Conditions in the early universe might have enabled rocky planets with water to form much earlier than anticipated, potentially allowing life to begin sooner too. Astrophysicists studying the early ...

The balloon-based EXCITE mission measures infrared phase curves of hot Jupiter exoplanets to map temperature and atmospheric composition from long-duration Antarctic flights.

Mysterious blasts of radio waves from across the universe called fast radio bursts help astronomers catalog matter. ESO/M. Kornmesser, CC BY-SA If you look across space with a telescope, you’ll see ...

Understanding exoplanet evolution could help solve the mystery of the 'hot Neptune desert.' When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

If you look across space with a telescope, you’ll see countless galaxies, most of which host large central black holes, billions of stars and their attendant planets. The universe teems with huge, ...