SUNSET: 
How Do Earth-Sized, Short-Period Planets Form?
Matching theory to observation often requires creative detective work. In a new study, scientists have used a clever test to reveal clues about the birth of speedy, Earth-sized planets.
Rogue Planets: Not as Plentiful as Thought
A new study finds that rogue planets — those floating free in the galaxy, unbound to any star — are not as plentiful as we once thought.
Exoplanet Might Have Ozone-like Layer
Astronomers have potentially detected a stratosphere in the atmosphere of a hot Jupiter.
Discovery of a Free-Floating Double Planet?
An object previously identified as a free-floating, large Jupiter analog turns out to be two objects — each with the mass of a few Jupiters. This system is the lowest-mass binary we’ve ever discovered.
A Partly Cloudy Exoplanet
Direct imaging of exoplanets was once only possible for the brightest of planets orbiting the dimmest of stars — but new observations of the Jupiter-like exoplanet 51 Eridani b provide tantalizing clues about its atmosphere.
Kepler Team Releases Final Exoplanet Catalog
The most comprehensive and detailed exoplanet catalog released yet marks the end of an era for Kepler, the planet-hunting telescope.
KELT-9b: Hottest Hot Jupiter Exoplanet Yet
Astronomers announce the discovery of bloated gas giant KELT-9b, the hottest "hot Jupiter" exoplanet known orbiting a short-lived massive star.
Help Astronomers Track a Giant, Ringed Planet
The possible discovery of a massive ringed planet in Orion needs confirmation — and amateur astronomers can help.
Seventh TRAPPIST-1 Planet Confirmed
Astronomers have confirmed the existence of the seventh planet around the ultracool dwarf star TRAPPIST-1.
Watery Skies of "Warm Neptune" Hint at Planet's Formation
Astronomers have detected water in the cloud-free skies of "warm Neptune" HAT-P-26b, a clue in the larger mystery of how these planets formed.
Gravitational Lensing Reveals "Iceball Earth" 13,000 Light-Years Away
Astronomers have discovered an "iceball Earth" orbiting a star 13,000 light-years away. Multiple eyes on the sky have revealed some of this world's secrets.
Welcome to LHS 1140b: A Super-Earth in the Habitable Zone
The MEarth exoplanet survey nabs LHS 1140 b, a rocky planet transiting its host star just 41 light-years distant.
Seven-Planet Star Hides Age, Might Be Deadly
The star with seven exoplanets puts out enough high-energy radiation to tear away the inner planets’ atmospheres in a few billion years.
Find New Worlds, Film an Eclipse & Do Some Citizen Science!
Hankering to discover new solar systems or understand our own? These citizen science projects and public data troves will help you fill your free time.
Seven Earth-Sized Planets Found Orbiting Dim Star
Astronomers have found seven Earth-sized planets around a cool red dwarf, all of which have the potential for liquid surface water.
Hubble Catches Exoplanet Shadow Play
A unique method reveals the influence of a planet within the stellar disk around TW Hydrae.
Proxima Centauri b Likely a Desert World
Astronomers suspect the Sun’s closest stellar neighbor desiccated its potentially rocky exoplanet, destroying the planet’s chances for habitability.
Top 12 Astronomy News Stories of 2016
From the discovery of gravitational waves to the building evidence that a massive planet could exist beyond Pluto, it has been a thrilling year for astronomy research. We recap.
Planet-forming Disks Revealed in Striking Images
Three teams of astronomers used the SPHERE instrument on the Very Large Telescope to image protoplanetary disks around nearby stars and catch planet formation in action.
Two Stars, Three Planet-forming Disks
A young pair of stars hosts three potentially planet-forming disks, and all three of them are wildly tilted with respect to each other.
