Astronomers just measured the mass of a free-floating planet without a star for the first time ...

While most planets that we are familiar with stick relatively close to their host star in a predictable orbit, some planets ...

Astronomers have finally weighed a wandering “rogue” planet, uncovering a Saturn-mass world flung into the galaxy after a dramatic planetary breakup.

Astronomers have identified a vast, cotton-candy–light “super‑puff” world that loops around its star in a wildly misaligned ...

The James Webb Space Telescope detected an atmosphere on a lava-covered exoplanet, evidence that small planets close to stars ...

This is the provocative question at the heart of an emerging astronomical debate, wherein the discovery of rogue planets-worlds free-floating in the galaxy-appears to challenge definitions of ...

Not every large object in space forms part of a solar system. There are some big objects that exist in isolation in space, without either being a star or orbiting one. One of these, SIMP 0136, wanders ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Leslie Katz covers the intersection of culture, science and tech. A yellowish-orange glow bathes Phainoterra, a planet of dramatic ...

A newly discovered exoplanet is rewriting the rules of what planets can be. Orbiting a city-sized neutron star, this ...

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

From Earth’s oldest rocks to glowing swamp lights and hidden ocean life, scientists in 2025 uncovered clues beneath our feet ...

From ancient fire-making and dinosaur footprints to planet parades and chimp medicine, 2025 science revealed wonder, surprise ...