Large planets need metal-rich stars in order to form; small planets do not ... fuse to form bigger rocks until eventually they form a planet that can be about the size of Earth or, if the planetary ...

Large and small planets are born from very different circumstances, according to data from NASA’s now-retired space telescope ...

A combination of cosmic processes shapes the formation of one of the most common types of planets outside of our solar system ...

"Comparing the frequency of exoplanets of certain sizes around stars of different ages can tell us a lot about the processes that shape planet formation," Fernandes said. "If planets commonly form ...

In 1992 astronomers reported the first planet-size masses around a dead star, the pulsar PSR1257+12, which sits 2,000 light-years away. Three years later came news of the first known exoplanet ...

Large planets need metal-rich stars in order to form; small planets do not ... eventually they form a planet that can be about the size of Earth or, if the planetary core is very large, up ...