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

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 ...

There are a couple of ways that scientists can date planets, so which planets formed first in our solar system? When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s ...

There are 8 planets in our solar system. The planets orbit the Sun in elliptical trajectories, and they are all different in size, composition, temperature, and characteristics. The planets can be ...

Studying the orbits of thousands of exoplanets shows that large planets tend to have elliptical orbits, while smaller planets tend to have more circular orbits. This split coincides with several other ...

About 4.6 billion years ago, a celestial cloud collapsed, paving the way for our solar system to form. Then, a nebula with strong gravitational pull took shape, kick-starting the birth of the sun. But ...

Every year, Earth follows a familiar pattern of seasonal changes: As summer rolls around in the Northern Hemisphere, winter creeps in in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa. But do other planets ...

Here's everything you need to know about this week's parade of seven planets. Getty Images A seven-luminaries-deep parade of planets will line up and light up the night sky this week, folks. Just ...

With Mercury joining the show, all seven of Earth’s celestial neighbors will be present at dusk this week. By Katrina Miller Astute skywatchers may have already seen the striking line of planets ...

Sign up for CNN’s Wonder Theory science newsletter. Explore the universe with news on fascinating discoveries, scientific advancements and more. After decades of ...

"Lava planets are in such extreme orbital configurations that our knowledge of rocky planets in the solar system does not directly apply." When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an ...

Fresh off the excitement of the Perseids meteor shower is a chance to see six planets lined up in the sky at once. These events, colloquially known as planet parades, occur occasionally with the most ...