Can Icelines Explain Uranus and Neptune?
A new hypothesis posits that the ice giant planets formed between the CO and N2 icelines in the Solar System’s protoplanetary disk.
Mercury’s surprising density: What about magnets?
A new model explains Mercury’s major density with magnetism.
How Easily Do Carbon-Rich Planets Form?
A new model simulates the composition of growing planetesimals in an evolving protoplanetary disk. The model predicts that carbon-rich terrestrial planets can form more easily than previously thought.
An Exoplanet’s Fast Spin
Planets in the Solar System with a higher mass spin faster than lower-mass planets. But what about planets in other systems? The authors of this paper make the first measurement of an exoplanet’s spin to compare its spin and mass to Solar System planets.
How giant planets affect accretion of water by rocky planets
How do giant planets affect the water content of rocky planets in habitable zones? Astronomers have run new planet formation simulations to try to answer this question.
Water ice in the solar nebula
The formation of water ice is an important first step in the formation of our Solar System. We review the process of early water ice formation and the difference between crystalline and amorphous water ice.