Webb Shows Planets Really Do Start with Pebbles
New observations have turned up evidence that icy pebbles deliver the water to inner regions of planet-forming disks.
Astronomy in Pictures: The Birth of Stars and Planets
Images capture the birth of stars and planets in multiple results from space- and ground-based telescopes.
Water on Earth Might Predate the Solar System
Astronomers studying the water vapor around a newborn star find that it’s chemically similar to ice in solar system comets, a possible source of Earth’s oceans.
Hot and Cold: Jupiters Reveal Formation and Chemistry of Exotic Worlds
At the extremes: A hot Jupiter reveals extreme chemistry on a sizzling world, and a cold Jupiter sheds light on giant planet formation.
Gravitationally Unstable Disk May Collapse to Form Planets
Astronomers investigate the spiral arms of a young star's disk and find evidence of a disk so massive that it could collapse to form planets.