This model of solar system formation is known as the nebular hypothesis. The solar system is structured in a roughly flat plane called the ecliptic, with most planets orbiting the sun in the same ...

Of course, we ultimately want to understand our own Solar system, and how it fits into the spectrum of planetary architectures. We also have an extremely strong planet formation theory group, working ...

The discoveries are helping them better classify different TNOs and understand the complex chemical reactions in space that may relate to the formation of our solar system and the origin of life.

Why doesn’t our solar system have sub-Neptune exoplanets and what can they teach us about planetary formation and evolution?

The dark nebula is part of the Circinus West molecular cloud, which stretches for 180 light-years, containing a mass 250,000 ...

How did our cosmic home—the solar system— fashion itself? This is a tale of billions of years. Put another way, begin with a ...

NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has confirmed that crystalline water ice exists in the debris disk surrounding HD 181327, a ...

Water ice shapes the outer regions of our Solar System in profound ways, forming the thick crusts of moons like Europa and ...

In this web focus, we present research papers, overview articles and opinion pieces that discuss how large impacts influenced the evolution of the early Solar System. Melt rocks returned from the ...

Billions of years ago, in the frozen edges of the solar system, a violent impact shaped one of space’s oddest pairs. Instead ...

Scientists say the data could help refine computer models of planetary formation and evolution, as well as shed new light on ...