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Planetary Formation

All articles tagged with #planetary formation

Ancient Jupiter was roughly twice as large with a 50× stronger magnetic field
science4 days ago

Ancient Jupiter was roughly twice as large with a 50× stronger magnetic field

A 2025 Nature Astronomy study using the orbits of Jovian moons Amalthea and Thebe suggests Jupiter was about 2–2.5× its current size and had a magnetic field roughly 50× stronger shortly after the solar system formed (about 3.8 million years in). The stronger early convection would have produced a much larger magnetosphere; the authors infer these conditions from angular-momentum constraints rather than modeling formation directly. The article notes that a separate, older estimate of Jupiter’s current contraction rate (~2 cm/year) exists but is not measured by this study. This finding provides a benchmark for constraining the solar system’s early history.

via Space Daily|
#amalthea#early-solar-system#jupiter
Double Jupiter-Sized 'Super-Puff' Planets Dazzle with Cotton-Candy Densities
science12 days ago

Double Jupiter-Sized 'Super-Puff' Planets Dazzle with Cotton-Candy Densities

Astronomers have identified two Jupiter-sized exoplanets in the TOI-791 system—TOI-791b and TOI-791c—that are extraordinarily low-density, with densities of about 0.038 and 0.047 g/cm³, among the lowest for giant planets and even lower than cotton candy. Found by citizen scientists via the Planet Hunters TESS project, these planets orbit a dwarf star roughly 1,110 light-years away in a 5:3 resonance. Masses and densities were derived from global observations, including an Antarctic telescope, enabling the team to measure their diffuse nature. Further studies, including space-based observations with the James Webb Space Telescope, are planned to explore their atmospheres and formation history.

via Good News Network|
#astronomy#exoplanets#planetary-formation
Desert Meteorite Hints at a Lost Planet’s Ancient Beginnings
science1 month ago

Desert Meteorite Hints at a Lost Planet’s Ancient Beginnings

Scientists analyze a roughly one-pound angrite meteorite found in the Sahara (NWA 12774) and argue it formed on a large parent body billions of years ago, perhaps 1,118–2,050 miles in diameter. The mineral clinopyroxene and unusually preserved crystal edges suggest formation under extreme pressure on a very large body, implying a distinct early planetary formation path separate from Earth and Mars. Fragments from that lost world likely scattered across the solar system and eventually landed on Earth, hinting there may be other ancient protoplanets waiting to be discovered.

via Yahoo News New Zealand|
#angrite-meteorite#desert-meteorite#early-solar-system
Venus-like exoplanets may outnumber Earths, researchers claim
space1 month ago

Venus-like exoplanets may outnumber Earths, researchers claim

Preliminary modelling presented at the EGU General Assembly suggests Venus-like, CO₂-dominated atmospheres on rocky exoplanets could be about twice as common as Earth-like worlds with oceans, though the results are not yet peer-reviewed and observational confirmation is lacking. Venus is the nearest planetary reference point, but it remains underexplored due to data gaps and shifting science priorities; confirming exoplanet Venus-like atmospheres will require future missions and more capable telescopes, with biases toward short-period planets complicating detection.

via Space Daily|
#atmospheres#exoplanets#note-ensure-only-five-tags-remove-one-perhaps-keep-five-venus-exoplanets-atmospheres-planetary-formation-space-exploration
One-Molecule Carbon Layer Dictates Charging of Identical Particles
science3 months ago

One-Molecule Carbon Layer Dictates Charging of Identical Particles

Scientists used acoustic levitation to study charge transfer between identical silica grains and found that a microscopic adventitious carbon layer on surfaces governs the charging behavior. Removing this carbon eliminates charging; allowing the layer to reform restores and even flips the charge. This resolves the symmetry problem for identical materials and has implications for natural phenomena like dust storms and volcanic lightning, as well as for theories of planetary formation and the origin of life. The findings were published in Nature.

via ZME Science|
#acoustic-levitation#adventitious-carbon#planetary-formation
Astronomers Catch a Planetary Collision in Action, Leaving a Hot Debris Glow
space3 months ago

Astronomers Catch a Planetary Collision in Action, Leaving a Hot Debris Glow

Astronomers studying Gaia20ehk (Gaia-GIC-1) observed a star whose visible light dimmed while infrared emission surged, consistent with a hot debris cloud from a recent collision between two planetesimals about 1.1 AU from the star, roughly 11,000 light-years away. The infrared glow persisted for years, offering a rare live glimpse into rocky-planet formation; future monitoring with JWST and the Rubin Observatory could reveal more such impacts.

via The Daily Galaxy|
#astronomy#exoplanets#infrared
Distant Star Hints at Clash of Baby Planets
space3 months ago

Distant Star Hints at Clash of Baby Planets

Astronomers studying Gaia-GIC-1, a Sun-like star about 11,600 light-years away, observed dramatic brightness dips (up to 25%) starting in 2016 with an opposite infrared brightening later, suggesting a hot dust cloud heated to ~900 K. Modeling indicates a collision between planetesimals near 1 AU, with dust mass around half that of Ceres, providing a rare glimpse into early planetary formation and a potential parallel to the Earth–Moon formation event.

via ScienceAlert|
#earth-moon-formation#gaia-gic-1#infrared-observations
Inside-Out Exoplanet System Upends Formation Theory
world4 months ago

Inside-Out Exoplanet System Upends Formation Theory

CHEOPS observations reveal four planets orbiting the red dwarf LHS 1903 far closer to their star than Mercury is to the Sun: two rocky super-Earths and two gaseous mini-Neptunes. The outermost planet, surprisingly rocky, challenges standard models that predict rocky worlds close in and gas giants farther out, suggesting an 'inside-out' assembly in which gas was depleted by inner planets or the atmosphere was stripped after formation. With a mass of about 5.8 Earth masses and a surface temperature around 60°C, it could be marginally habitable, and future JWST studies could probe its atmosphere.

via Dawn|
#cheops#exoplanets#habitability
Jupiter Found to Be 1.5x Oxygen-Rich Compared to the Sun
space5 months ago

Jupiter Found to Be 1.5x Oxygen-Rich Compared to the Sun

Using data from NASA's Juno and Galileo missions, researchers built a combined chemistry–hydrodynamics model of Jupiter's atmosphere. They find Jupiter may contain about 1.5 times the Sun's oxygen—far more than earlier estimates of roughly one-third—much of which is in water. The study also shows gas diffusion in Jupiter's atmosphere could be 35–40 times slower than previously thought, a result that informs theories about how the planet formed from icy material near the frost line.

via Futurism|
#atmosphere#juno#jupiter
Oxygen Clues Rewrite Jupiter’s Formation Story
space5 months ago

Oxygen Clues Rewrite Jupiter’s Formation Story

New 1D chemistry and 2D hydrodynamic models suggest Jupiter contains about 1.5 times more oxygen than the Sun and that its atmospheric circulation is slower than previously thought, refining theories of gas-giant formation; the work builds on NASA’s Juno data revealing complex weather and a possible fuzzy core, as the mission continues through 2025 with a planned end that preserves the moons from Earth microbes.

via Universe Today|
#atmosphere#juno#jupiter