Most planet-forming disks have warps that can lead to planets on inclined orbits, which could explain where the tilt of Earth's orbit came from. The origin of the differing tilts in the orbits of the ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky.

The textbook picture of how planets form—serene, flat disks of cosmic dust—has just received a significant cosmic twist. New research, published in Astrophysical Journal Letters, is set to reshape ...

Fresh off the excitement of the Perseids meteor shower is a chance to see six planets lined up in the sky at once. These events, colloquially known as planet parades, occur occasionally with the most ...

NASA's James Webb and Hubble telescopes have captured stunning images of a young star, IRAS 04302, revealing a butterfly-like structure. This protostar, hidden in gas and dust, offers insights into ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. An award-winning reporter writing about stargazing and the night sky.

The Star Wars universe expands across a vast collection of many worlds, most of which have been the site of significant events dramatically affecting the galaxy's fate. With the first movie of the ...

The find represents the first clear detection of a baby planet taking shape within a disc of dust and gas with multiple rings. The ground-breaking discovery was made using European Southern ...

Dwarf planet Ceres now appears less like a dead rock and more like a world that may have briefly brimmed with potential for life Ceres, the largest object in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter ...

NEW YORK — Six planets are hanging out in the sky this month in what’s known as a planetary parade. Catch the spectacle while you can because it’s the last one of the year. These linkups happen when ...

What is the difference between a moon and a planet? Trick question! According to scientific definitions, there often isn’t much of a difference at all. That might seem counterintuitive, but it’s true.

In the swirling clouds of gas and dust that surround newborn stars, planets begin to form. These planet-forming disks are rich with clues about how worlds like Earth come to be. Until now, scientists ...