Earth and Mars were formed from material that largely originated in the inner Solar System; only a few percent of the building blocks of these two planets originated beyond Jupiter’s orbit. A group of ...

When the solar system was first organizing itself, a disk of gas and dust took shape around the sun's central mass. It eventually sorted itself into the system of planets we see today. But there are ...

Astronomers have spotted an intriguing cluster of objects in the Kuiper belt, an enormous, donut-shaped region of icy objects ...

In the early solar system, a 'protoplanetary disk' of dust and gas rotated around the sun and eventually coalesced into the planets we know today. A new study suggests that a mysterious gap existed ...

Cosmochemists now present the most comprehensive comparison to date of the isotopic composition of Earth, Mars and pristine building material from the inner and outer Solar System. Earth and Mars were ...

Formation of the solar system in two different planetary populations: the inner rocky planets formed earlier than the outer gas and ice giants. (Illustration: Mark A. Garlick / markgarlick.com) ...

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. The rocky planets closest to the sun are made up of very different materials than the gas giants ...

Alfredo has a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces from Imperial College London.View full profile Alfredo has a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum ...

Approximately 4.5 billion years ago, a cold cloud of gas and dust buried deep in one of the Milky Way galaxy’s spiral arms started to collapse. From there, gravity worked its magic. The cloud began to ...

Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent every weekday. Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. In 1992, the discovery of a small object unlocked a big secret: that ...

Generations of scientists have tried to explain how the solar system began. None of the explanations is wholly adequate. The trouble is that the solar system is not a haphazard collection of planets ...