The giant planets weren't always where we find them today. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune formed in a more compact configuration and later underwent a violent reshuffling that scattered them to ...

However, what constitutes a planet in particular is a question that may seem very simple but has been escalating in complexity as scientists discover new planets that defy the classical definition.

Could a lonely planet wander aimlessly through the restless galaxy change the subtle dance of gravity within our solar system? Astronomers have new cause to investigate. With powerful telescopic ...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Just as Earth orbits the sun, most planets discovered beyond our solar system orbit a host star. But some are out there all by themselves, called rogue planets. While their ...

A mysterious "rogue planet" has been observed gobbling 6 billion tons of gas and dust a second — an unprecedented rate that blurs the line between planets and stars, astronomers said Thursday. Unlike ...

Stars passing close to the sun could cause planets to collide, including with Earth, or even be ejected as rogue planets, new simulations show. By Katherine Kornei If our species manages to hang on ...

Astronomers have discovered a significant “growth spurt” in a rogue planet outside of our solar system. The free-floating planet is currently consuming gas and dust from its surroundings at a rate of ...

At a young age, we're told how the sun warms Earth and makes life possible. That idea sticks with most of us for life. But when we want to understand things more thoroughly and we dig more deeply, we ...