SUNSET: 
Giant Planet Found Around a White Dwarf
Astronomers have found a Jupiter-size planet orbiting a much smaller white dwarf. The discovery shows what a system might look like after its star's death.
First Image of a Young Sun and Two Giant Planets
For the first time, astronomers have imaged multiple planets orbiting a Sun-like star.
Alignment of a Star and a Planet
Unlike in our solar system, not all planets orbit in the same direction as their stars rotate. A nearby planetary system may reveal how these orbits form.
Close Encounters in the Milky Way — and What They Mean for Planets
New research shows stellar flybys are common in our galaxy’s crowded center. That could have both good and bad (but mostly bad) effects on growing planets.
Three Nearby Exoplanets to Explore
A trio of nearby exoplanets make tempting new targets for next-gen telescopes.
First Discoveries of a Pro-Am Exoplanet Survey
A pair of professional and amateur astronomers have teamed up to fill an important niche in exoplanet research.
Are We Watching a Planet Disintegrate?
Among the wealth of exoplanets we’ve discovered beyond our solar system, some are temperate, some less so. New observations have now revealed what may be a particularly inhospitable environment: a planet literally disintegrating as it orbits its host.
Astronomers Witness the Birth of Planets
Two new sets of observations show astronomers what planet formation looks like.
Rescuing an Overlooked Planet
The Kepler False Positive Working Group has identified an Earth sized planet in the habitable zone of a M-dwarf star that was marked as a false positive.
Fomalhaut b: Exoplanet or Puff of Dust?
Is Fomalhaut b “the planet that never was”? Astronomers continue to contest the nature of this directly imaged object around a nearby star.
How Amateurs Could Help Future Exoplanet Observations
Large observatories will require precise timing info to measure as many exoplanet atmospheres as possible. Backyard astronomers have the power to keep that intel fresh.
Iron Might Rain on This Hot Jupiter
New observations show a signature that could come from iron rain on one side of hot Jupiter WASP-76b.
60-Second Astro News: Planets in Tight Quarters & Kuiper Belt Forays
Astronomers have calculated the loss of planets around stars in globular clusters, and New Horizons returns observations of worlds in the outer solar system.
Astronomers Discover Second Planet in Nearest Star System
Astronomers have announced the discovery of Proxima Centauri c, an inhospitable super-Earth just 4.3 light-years away.
NASA's TESS Introduces Us to Our Planetary Neighbors
NASA's TESS mission announces the results from its first year of exoplanet-hunting in the southern sky, introducing us to some of our planetary neighbors.
How a White Dwarf Is Vaporizing Its Giant Planet
Astronomers have long suspected that white dwarfs eat their planetary companions. Now, indirect observations show the process in action.
New Method May Expedite Search for Exoplanets with Atmospheres
A team of astronomers propose screening exoplanets by their temperatures to determine whether they host an atmosphere — and are worth following up.
Observations Confirm Lensing Planet Discovered by Amateur
Follow-up observations of an amateur-discovered exoplanet show that the planet orbits its star at the snow line, where ice giants may form.
Astronomers Monitor Exoplanet-Scale Collision
New infrared observations probe a system that underwent a planetary-scale collision tens of thousands of years ago.
Two Eyes to Hunt Stray Planet Masses
How can we measure the masses of free-floating planets wandering around our galaxy? A new study identifies one approach that combines the power of two upcoming missions.
