Steep density drop-offs and orbits with high inclinations and eccentricities are just a few of the mysterious features in the outer reaches of our Solar System – can a single stellar fly-by help explain all of them?
Today’s paper describes models of what a nearby supernova would do to a young planetary system, and looks at whether the same may have happened to our own solar system.
We’ve strongly suspected they’re there. A new method promises to prove it.
While a planet is forming, its passage through the protoplanetary disk can prevent pebbles from migrating inwards and accreting onto the planet.
Using 14 years of high resolution near-infrared imaging, radio observations of molecular gas, and a hydrodynamic simulation the authors show that spiral arms seen in the protoplanetary disk around HD 100453 A are caused by its M-dwarf companion.
Mini-Neptunes are among the most common type of planet in the galaxy. Are they as easy to build as we might think?