An illustration of our solar system.
(Image credit: MARK GARLICK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY via Getty Images)
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
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Exoplanets'It's absolutely exciting!': Astronomers discover atmosphere around an Earth-like planet in the habitable zone for first time3 Comments -
ExoplanetsAlien life on nearby 'super Earth' much likelier than we thought, study claims6 Comments -
MarsNASA rover finds record-breaking trove of complex organic molecules on Mars6 Comments -
Planets2 vanished 'super Earths' once orbited near Uranus and Neptune, new study hints -
Exoplanets'Totally counterintuitive': Scientists accidentally discover magnetic fields around 7 distant planets, opening new window in the search for life -
Mars'I would never have guessed it': Unexpected effect is squeezing Mars' atmosphere like toothpaste, experts say
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Exoplanets'It's absolutely exciting!': Astronomers discover atmosphere around an Earth-like planet in the habitable zone for first time3 Comments
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ExoplanetsAlien life on nearby 'super Earth' much likelier than we thought, study claims6 Comments
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Exoplanets'Totally counterintuitive': Scientists accidentally discover magnetic fields around 7 distant planets, opening new window in the search for life
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ExoplanetsScientists identify 10,000 'impossible' exoplanet candidates, potentially tripling the number of known alien worlds -
ExoplanetsScientists tracked faint signals from the stars — and may have turned up hundreds of undiscovered planets -
ExoplanetsStrange discovery offers 'missing link' in planet formation -
ExoplanetsJames Webb telescope uncovers a new mystery: A broiling 'hell planet' with an atmosphere that shouldn't exist2 Comments -
ExoplanetsScience history: Astronomers spot first known planet around a sunlike star, raising hopes for extraterrestrial life — Nov. 1, 1995 -
ExoplanetsIt's official: Humans have found 6,000 planets beyond our solar system
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JupiterThe solar system's largest moon may be heating up -
JupiterSpiders on Jupiter? Scientists uncover secret origins of arachnid-like 'demon' lurking on gas giant's moon. -
JupiterJames Webb telescope spots weird changes on Jupiter's icy moon Europa -
JupiterJupiter is shrinking and used to be twice as big, mind-boggling study reveals -
JupiterJames Webb telescope reveals 'impossible' auroras on Jupiter -
JupiterJupiter: Facts about the biggest planet in our solar system -
Jupiter'I won't be surprised if this is happening throughout the universe': Mushball storms on Jupiter offer clues to atmospheres of distant planets -
JupiterPowerful solar winds squish Jupiter's magnetic field 'like a giant squash ball' -
JupiterJupiter's Great Red Spot is being squeezed, Hubble Telescope finds — and nobody knows why
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MarsNASA rover finds record-breaking trove of complex organic molecules on Mars6 Comments
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Mars'I would never have guessed it': Unexpected effect is squeezing Mars' atmosphere like toothpaste, experts say
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MarsMars looks blue and bruised in surreal new images from Psyche spacecraft — Space photo of the week -
MarsWatch NASA's Curiosity rover 'struggle' to remove a rock that got stuck on its robotic arm for nearly a week -
Mars'I was not looking for this': Scientist accidentally finds shortcut to Mars that could slash travel time in half22 Comments -
MarsNASA's Curiosity rover finds a surprising number of giant 'dragon scales' littered across Mars -
MarsA giant 'shadow' has been creeping across Mars for 50 years — and scientists aren't sure why4 Comments -
MarsNASA rover discovers first ruby-like crystals on Mars -
MarsAn anomaly in Mars' mantle could trigger volcanoes to erupt — and may be causing the whole planet to spin faster6 Comments
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MercuryMercury's 'missing' meteorites may have finally been found on Earth -
MercuryMercury is weird because of a 'hit-and-run' incident in its youth2 Comments -
MercurySee Mercury's frigid north pole in extraordinary new images from the BepiColombo spacecraft -
Mercury9-mile-thick layer of solid diamonds may lurk beneath Mercury's surface, study hints -
MercuryIt's the best time of year to spot Mercury. Here's how to find it. -
MercuryMercury may have a 'potentially habitable' region below its surface, salty glaciers suggest -
MercuryMercury is still shrinking after billions of years, and scientists can see its 'wrinkles' -
MercuryMercury reaches its highest point in the sky this weekend. Here's how to see it. -
MercurySee Mercury's giant, comet-like tail in stunning new image as it passes close to the sun
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NeptuneOne of Neptune's 16 moons is not like the others, James Webb telescope finds -
NeptuneJames Webb telescope captures auroras on Neptune for first time ever -
NeptuneSpace photo of the week: 1st-ever close-up of Neptune is Voyager 2's final portrait of a planet -
NeptuneNeptune keeps growing enormous dark and bright spots, and scientists don't know why -
NeptuneAll of Neptune's clouds have mysteriously disappeared, and the sun may be to blame -
NeptuneGhostly rings of Neptune shine in new James Webb Telescope images -
NeptuneNeptune: The farthest planet from our sun -
NeptuneAstronomers perplexed by plummeting temperatures in Neptune's atmosphere -
Neptune'Diamond rain' on Uranus and Neptune seems likely
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PlutoWhy does Pluto have such a weird orbit? -
PlutoNew Pluto mission could uncover dwarf planet's hidden ocean — if the 'queen of the underworld' gets to fly -
PlutoSkyscraper-size spikes of methane ice may surround Pluto's equator -
PlutoJames Webb telescope discovers 'a new kind of climate' on Pluto, unlike anything else in our solar system -
PlutoHow Pluto captured its largest moon Charon with a 10-hour icy 'kiss' -
PlutoJames Webb Space Telescope deciphers the origins of Pluto's icy moon Charon -
PlutoPluto's huge white 'heart' has a surprisingly violent origin, new study suggests -
PlutoPluto may have an ice-spewing 'supervolcano' the size of Yellowstone, New Horizons data reveals -
PlutoWhen will Pluto complete its first orbit since its discovery?
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SaturnSaturn's chaotic atmosphere revealed in most comprehensive view yet by James Webb and Hubble telescopes -
SaturnSaturn's largest moon may actually be 2 moons in 1 — and helped birth the planet's iconic rings -
SaturnSaturn's largest moon may be riddled with 'slushy tunnels' that contain alien life, new study hints -
SaturnScientists find best evidence yet that icy moon Enceladus is habitable11 Comments -
SaturnSaturn will be at its biggest and brightest on Sept. 21 — here's how to see it3 Comments -
SaturnThere's liquid on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. But something's missing and scientists are confused2 Comments -
SaturnSaturn: Facts about the ringed planet -
SaturnThere's a weird, disappearing dark spot on Saturn's moon Enceladus -
SaturnWe might have been completely wrong about the origin of Saturn's rings, new study claims
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UranusUranus has a new, hidden moon, James Webb Space Telescope reveals -
UranusScientists find Uranus is surprisingly warm, heating up the case for a new planetary mission -
UranusSurprised scientists discover the 'dark sides' of Uranus' moons are the wrong way around -
UranusScientists finally know how long a day on Uranus is -
UranusIcy moon of Uranus may have once hid watery secret, Voyager 2 archives reveal -
UranusScientists finally know why ultraviolent superstorms flare up on Uranus and Neptune -
UranusA moon of Uranus could have a hidden ocean, James Webb Space Telescope finds -
UranusNeptune isn't as blue as you think, and these new images of the planet prove it -
UranusSpace photo of the week: Uranus 'rings' in the New Year in stunning James Webb telescope image
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VenusBizarre patterns on Venus have scientists puzzled -
VenusWhy is Venus so bright?2 Comments -
VenusHold the syrup: Weirdly perfect 'pancakes' on Venus may prove the planet is buckling -
VenusVenus may be geologically 'alive' after all, NASA reveals -
VenusSee Venus at its 'greatest brilliancy' this week — or wait until Sept. 2026 -
VenusVenus goes 'new moon' as it passes between Earth and the sun this weekend -
VenusVenus, the 'love planet', will look extra special this Valentine's Day. Here's why. -
VenusJapan loses contact with Akatsuki, humanity's only active Venus probe -
VenusMolecule responsible for robbing Venus of its water may finally have been identified
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Exoplanets'It's absolutely exciting!': Astronomers discover atmosphere around an Earth-like planet in the habitable zone for first time3 Comments
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ExoplanetsAlien life on nearby 'super Earth' much likelier than we thought, study claims6 Comments
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MarsNASA rover finds record-breaking trove of complex organic molecules on Mars6 Comments
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Planets2 vanished 'super Earths' once orbited near Uranus and Neptune, new study hints
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Exoplanets'Totally counterintuitive': Scientists accidentally discover magnetic fields around 7 distant planets, opening new window in the search for life
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Mars'I would never have guessed it': Unexpected effect is squeezing Mars' atmosphere like toothpaste, experts say
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VenusBizarre patterns on Venus have scientists puzzled
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JupiterThe solar system's largest moon may be heating up
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MarsMars looks blue and bruised in surreal new images from Psyche spacecraft — Space photo of the week
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NeptuneOne of Neptune's 16 moons is not like the others, James Webb telescope finds
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