The exploration and study of exoplanets have advanced significantly in recent years, leading scientists to reconsider how these distant worlds are classified. As our understanding deepens, so does the ...

Exoplanet habitability depends on a whole host of factors, with liquid water at the top of the list. It also requires a stable atmosphere, the right chemistry, and possibly even things like plate ...

When scientists discovered the first planet orbiting another star in 1995, few outside astronomy circles noticed. That planet, 51 Pegasi b, opened the door to a field that now boasts more than 5,000 ...

"Lava planets are in such extreme orbital configurations that our knowledge of rocky planets in the solar system does not directly apply." Astronomers may be starting to get the goods on lava planets.

Dark matter is one of the biggest puzzles in science. Although it makes up about 85 percent of all matter in the universe, it has never been directly observed. You can’t see it, touch it, or hold it ...

"Life can be understood as complexity, and water has a wide range of properties that enable this complexity." Scientists have developed a better model to understand "steam worlds," which are planets ...

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 ...

An illustration of exoplanet Kepler-1649c orbiting around its host red dwarf star in the star’s habitable zone, where liquid water could exist. Researchers say planets may also host ionic liquids that ...