Across the Milky Way and beyond, planetary systems appear to fall into a few recurring blueprints, and recent exoplanet surveys suggest that just four layouts may dominate the universe. Drawing on ...

Still from a simulation of a forming planetary disk. The images show the rotating inner disk along the top half, and the shadow it casts on the outer disk in the lower half. CREDIT Rebecca Nealon / ...

A new study is challenging the understanding of planetary disk formation around young stars. It reveals that the environment plays a crucial role in determining the size and lifetime of these ...

Astronomers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian have captured what may be the biggest planet-forming disk ever seen around a young star; and it looks unexpectedly wild. Using NASA’s ...

ALMA, located in the Chilean Atacama desert, is the most powerful telescope for observing the cool Universe — molecular gas and dust. ALMA studies the building blocks of stars, planetary systems, ...