The Sun is not nailed to the center of the solar system. It moves, wobbles, and traces a small loop through space, tugged by ...
Planets orbiting two suns are rare. Scientists now understand why. Subtle gravitational forces, amplified by Einstein's relativity, destabilize planetary orbits over eons. This leads to planets being ...
Studying the orbits of thousands of exoplanets shows that large planets tend to have elliptical orbits, while smaller planets tend to have more circular orbits. This split coincides with several other ...
Right angle Illustration of 2M1510 showing the orbits of the two brown dwarfs (in blue) and that of the planet (in orange). (Courtesy: ESO/L Calçada) The first strong evidence for an exoplanet with an ...
The classical picture of star and planet formation suggests that a star’s rotational axis and the orbital planes of its planets should be aligned. However, exoplanetary systems have considerable ...
Most astronomers would love to find a planet, but Mike Brown may be the only one proud of having killed one. Thanks to his research, Pluto, the solar system’s ninth planet, was removed from the ...