giant planets

During the chaotic era of the solar system, Jupiter may have contributed to the formation of Earth’s moon

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It seems that the so-called ‘great instability’ event that caused chaos among the planets and the gas giants their journey through space until they settled into the orbits we know today took place between 60 and 100 million years after the birth of the solar system. This is the conclusion of careful scientific detective work … Read more

James Webb Space Telescope joins the hunt for newborn exoplanets

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Astronomers use the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to hunt for planets that form around young stars. The powerful space telescope delivered the goods quickly, albeit in an unexpected way. These young planets take shape in swirling clumps of gas and dust called protoplanetary disks, gathering more and more mass as they go. Humanity has … Read more