An alien world blacker than coal, the darkest planet known, has been discovered in the galaxy ( Read more... )

Astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope have discovered a fourth moon orbiting the icy dwarf planet Pluto. The tiny, new satellite - temporarily designated P4 -- popped up in a Hubble survey searching for rings around the dwarf planet.

http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2011/20jul_p4/Poll #xxxx

Poll Check out the rather different ( Read more... )

After pondering the problem for some time, I believe our collective grief over Pluto's demise as a planet is not because of its link to a dopey Disney dog but because of something deeper: a hunger for order and simplicity.

Astronomer Adam Frank, via Andrew Sullivan

A mere 42 light-years from Earth, a planet a mere 6.6 times more massive than Earth and with water has been discovered.

“If you want to describe in one sentence what this planet is, it’s a big, hot ocean,”...

It appears to be composed of extraordinarily deep oceans, surrounding a rocky core.

Most Earth-Like Extrasolar Planet Found Right Next ( Read more... )

One of the smallest exoplanets yet discovered has just been confirmed as a rocky world, scientists announced...

the planet's surface temperatures are scorching, with highs above 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit...
"Probably the day side is very hot and is pure lava, boiling"

First Rocky Planet Found Outside Solar System


( Read more... )