Across the galaxy, astronomers now see that planetary systems fall into four broad classes, and our own solar system, part of the rare Ordered group, is only one of them. At the same time, discoveries ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. There are currently more than 5,800 known planets beyond the solar system. Artist Martin Vargic ...

New high-contrast images from SPHERE show a stunning variety of debris disks shaped by collisions of tiny planet-building ...

Researchers using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope have detected the strongest evidence yet for an atmosphere on a rocky ...

Still, science being science, we needed proof—and we got it in 1992, when two astronomers found two planets orbiting a pulsar ...

A new explanation for the solar system's radioactive elements suggests Earth-like planets might be found orbiting up to 50 ...

An object eight times the mass of Jupiter may have swooped around the sun, coming superclose to Mars' present-day orbit before shoving four of the solar system's planets onto a different course. When ...

Out of all the planets in the Universe, Earth is clearly the best for life, right? Wrong. Earth may be great, but scientists ...

When two giant planets collide, an even bigger world may be born. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. Based on new simulations, ...

This story sounds wild—even incredible. Black holes! Dark matter! Jostling planets! Yet the scenario is plausible—and testable soon. Black holes the size of an atom that contain the mass of an ...