Most of what people casually call “the universe” is not where instinct suggests. Stars, planets and glowing gas clouds are ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Credit: Robert Lea (created with Canva) Planets can differ from the swirling envelopes of gas and ...

Is there a second Earth out there in space? Our knowledge of planetary systems far, far away is increasing constantly, as new technologies continue to sharpen our gaze into space. To date, 3,700 ...

Astronomers gazing upon a star system not too far from Earth were recently treated to a marvelous discovery: a group of six planets moving around a sun-like star in a seemingly perfect cosmic dance ...

Mercury has long baffled astronomers because it defies much of what we know about planet formation. A new space mission ...

Water isn't just delivered to planets by comets and asteroids — it can also be forged as worlds form, a new study finds. For decades, scientists have debated the origin of Earth's water. One ...

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. An illustration of confirmed dwarf planets and their moons. From left to right: Pluto (with ...

With sapphire waterfalls, lava rain and orbits around dead stars, these distant worlds push the limits of what’s possible.

When you think of a planet with rings, majestic Saturn almost definitely comes to mind. But it's not the only planet in the solar system with these breathtaking bands. So which planets in our solar ...

A visible line of planets has for weeks been the talk of astronomers and hobbyist stargazers who have sought to catch a sight of our solar system's worlds. Online chatter and a frenzy of media ...