Planets

The massive red storm extends far deeper than astronomers thought possible — and the ferocious winds powering it are deeper still.

The inner core of our planet is actually a mishmash of hard, mushy and liquid metal.

For the first time in history, scientists may have discovered a planet in another galaxy.

Venus may not be such a tantalizing target for alien hunters after all.

Pluto's atmosphere is going through a strange transformation, scientists are finding.

A recent discovery of giant ammonia-rich hailstones, dubbed mushballs, on Jupiter might explain why Uranus and Neptune seem to have no ammonia in their atmospheres.

How rare is our solar system? In the 30 years or so since planets were first discovered orbiting stars other than our sun, we have found that planetary systems are common in the galaxy.

The search for alien life should broaden its horizons a bit, a new study suggests.

Venus is Earth's twisted twin in so many ways, what about on the skywatching front?

Scientists used Saturn's famous rings as a seismograph to study processes in the planet's interior. The researchers found its core is like a soup consisting of rocks, ices and metallic fluids.

Sun-exploring spacecraft Solar Orbiter has captured this video of a glowing crescent of Venus as it flew past the planet during a gravity-assist flyby on Monday (Aug 9).

From worlds that rain iron and glass to diamond worlds and planets that have escaped the grip of their parent stars, here are 10 of the most extreme alien planets.

Bright reflections that radar detected beneath the south pole of Mars may not be underground lakes as previously thought but deposits of clay instead, a new study finds.

In the wisp-thin sky of Jupiter's moon Ganymede, the largest satellite in the solar system, astronomers have for the first time detected evidence of water vapor, a new study finds.

Mysterious flares of X-rays from Jupiter's auroras suggest that the giant planet's "northern lights" may possess unexpected similarities with those of Earth, a new study finds.

Some of the most fascinating worlds in our cosmic neighborhood are not planets, but the moons that orbit around them.

Life in the clouds of Venus is impossible due to the extremely low amount of water despite last year's findings suggesting the presence of organic material.

Venus may still be geologically active today, which could mean that Earth's planetary sibling is a good place for scientists to learn about early Earth and faraway worlds.