Live Science keeps you up-to-date with the amazing discoveries astronomers are making about the planets in our universe, from Earth and its solar system sisters to distant exoplanets thousands of light-years away.
Our expert writers and editors report on the discovery of planets more hospitable to life than Earth, research suggesting an unknown "captured" alien planet may be hiding at the edge of our solar system, why the jury is still out on Planet Nine, and even what color the sunset is on other planets. So, whatever your cosmic curiosities, there's sure to be something that captivates you in the latest planet news, features and articles.
Discover more about planets
—Why do the planets in the solar system orbit on the same plane?
—What's the maximum number of planets that could orbit the sun?
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New Pluto mission could uncover dwarf planet's hidden ocean — if the 'queen of the underworld' gets to fly
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NASA's Perseverance rover spies mysterious 'helmet' on Mars
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Uranus has a new, hidden moon, James Webb Space Telescope reveals
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A real-life Pandora? Newfound 'disappearing' planet in our neighboring star system could have a habitable moon, just like the Avatar movies
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See the final 'planet parade' of 2025, starting this weekend
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Venus and Jupiter conjunction: The 2 brightest planets will 'kiss' early Tuesday morning
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NASA finds multi-billion-year-old 'coral' on Mars
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A real-life Pandora? Newfound 'disappearing' planet in our neighboring star system could have a habitable moon, just like the Avatar movies
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Stunning 'sun dogs' could sparkle in alien skies, James Webb Space Telescope suggests
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5th planet found orbiting nearby star may lie in habitable zone
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A doomed exoplanet is caught in a 'death spiral' around its star. Can it survive?
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Bad news for alien life? Earth-size planets may be less common than we thought
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'A completely new phenomenon': Astronomers spot a planet causing its star to constantly explode
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Astronomers discover origins of mysterious double hot Jupiter exoplanets: 'It is a dance of sorts'
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James Webb telescope discovers its first planet — a Saturn-size 'shepherd' still glowing red hot from its formation
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Alcohol-soaked star system could help explain 'why life, including us, was able to form'
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James Webb telescope spots weird changes on Jupiter's icy moon Europa
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Jupiter is shrinking and used to be twice as big, mind-boggling study reveals
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James Webb telescope reveals 'impossible' auroras on Jupiter
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Jupiter: Facts about the biggest planet in our solar system
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'I won't be surprised if this is happening throughout the universe': Mushball storms on Jupiter offer clues to atmospheres of distant planets
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Powerful solar winds squish Jupiter's magnetic field 'like a giant squash ball'
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Jupiter's Great Red Spot is being squeezed, Hubble Telescope finds — and nobody knows why
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Asteroid 10 times bigger than the dinosaur-killing space rock smashed Jupiter's largest moon off its axis
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Jupiter's surreal clouds swirl in new van Gogh-esque view from NASA's Juno probe
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NASA's Perseverance rover spies mysterious 'helmet' on Mars
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NASA finds multi-billion-year-old 'coral' on Mars
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If aliens existed on Mars 3.7 billion years ago, they would have needed umbrellas
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Largest known Martian meteorite on Earth sells for $5.3 million at auction
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Could signs of Mars life be hidden in its thick layers of clay?
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Mystery of Mars' missing water could be solved by the planet's tipsy tilt
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Does Mars have a moon?
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Why does Mars look purple, yellow and orange in ESA's stunning new satellite image?
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Mars rover captures first close-up photos of giant 'spiderwebs' on the Red Planet
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Mercury's 'missing' meteorites may have finally been found on Earth
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Mercury is weird because of a 'hit-and-run' incident in its youth
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See Mercury's frigid north pole in extraordinary new images from the BepiColombo spacecraft
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9-mile-thick layer of solid diamonds may lurk beneath Mercury's surface, study hints
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It's the best time of year to spot Mercury. Here's how to find it.
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Mercury may have a 'potentially habitable' region below its surface, salty glaciers suggest
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Mercury is still shrinking after billions of years, and scientists can see its 'wrinkles'
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Mercury reaches its highest point in the sky this weekend. Here's how to see it.
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See Mercury's giant, comet-like tail in stunning new image as it passes close to the sun
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James Webb telescope captures auroras on Neptune for first time ever
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Space photo of the week: 1st-ever close-up of Neptune is Voyager 2's final portrait of a planet
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Neptune keeps growing enormous dark and bright spots, and scientists don't know why
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All of Neptune's clouds have mysteriously disappeared, and the sun may be to blame
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Ghostly rings of Neptune shine in new James Webb Telescope images
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Neptune: The farthest planet from our sun
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Astronomers perplexed by plummeting temperatures in Neptune's atmosphere
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'Diamond rain' on Uranus and Neptune seems likely
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Scientists probe the weird, alien water inside of Uranus and Neptune
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New Pluto mission could uncover dwarf planet's hidden ocean — if the 'queen of the underworld' gets to fly
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Skyscraper-size spikes of methane ice may surround Pluto's equator
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James Webb telescope discovers 'a new kind of climate' on Pluto, unlike anything else in our solar system
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How Pluto captured its largest moon Charon with a 10-hour icy 'kiss'
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James Webb Space Telescope deciphers the origins of Pluto's icy moon Charon
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Pluto's huge white 'heart' has a surprisingly violent origin, new study suggests
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Pluto may have an ice-spewing 'supervolcano' the size of Yellowstone, New Horizons data reveals
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When will Pluto complete its first orbit since its discovery?
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Ice volcanoes on Pluto may still be erupting
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There's liquid on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. But something's missing and scientists are confused
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Saturn: Facts about the ringed planet
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There's a weird, disappearing dark spot on Saturn's moon Enceladus
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We might have been completely wrong about the origin of Saturn's rings, new study claims
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Saturn's moon Titan may have a 6-mile-thick crust of methane ice — could life be under there?
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Saturn at opposition: How to see the ringed planet at its biggest and brightest this week
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Saturn's planet-wide storms driven by seasonal heating, Cassini probe reveals
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Enormous 'San Andreas fault' on Saturn's moon could help reveal signs of alien life
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Saturn's 'Death Star' moon Mimas may have an underground ocean scientists never believed could exist
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Uranus has a new, hidden moon, James Webb Space Telescope reveals
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Scientists find Uranus is surprisingly warm, heating up the case for a new planetary mission
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Surprised scientists discover the 'dark sides' of Uranus' moons are the wrong way around
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Scientists finally know how long a day on Uranus is
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Icy moon of Uranus may have once hid watery secret, Voyager 2 archives reveal
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Scientists finally know why ultraviolent superstorms flare up on Uranus and Neptune
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A moon of Uranus could have a hidden ocean, James Webb Space Telescope finds
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Neptune isn't as blue as you think, and these new images of the planet prove it
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Space photo of the week: Uranus 'rings' in the New Year in stunning James Webb telescope image
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Hold the syrup: Weirdly perfect 'pancakes' on Venus may prove the planet is buckling
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Venus may be geologically 'alive' after all, NASA reveals
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See Venus at its 'greatest brilliancy' this week — or wait until Sept. 2026
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Venus goes 'new moon' as it passes between Earth and the sun this weekend
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Venus, the 'love planet', will look extra special this Valentine's Day. Here's why.
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Japan loses contact with Akatsuki, humanity's only active Venus probe
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Molecule responsible for robbing Venus of its water may finally have been identified
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Venus is leaking carbon and oxygen, and scientists aren't totally sure why
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Photographer snaps extremely rare 'green flash' coming from Venus
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