The International Astronomical Union defines a planet as a celestial body that orbits the sun, is massive enough that gravity has forced it into a spherical shape, and has cleared away other objects ...

Astronomers identify 27 possible circumbinary planets orbiting two stars, expanding the search for worlds beyond our solar ...

Thanks to the sheer mass of Jupiter and fellow gas giant Saturn, the Solar System barycenter is rarely in the center of the ...

Astronomers have long been puzzled by a cosmic mystery: planets orbiting two stars—like Star Wars’ Tatooine—are surprisingly rare, even though they should be common. New research suggests the culprit ...

In the cold, dark outskirts of planetary systems far beyond the reach of the known planets, mysterious gas giants and planetary masses silently orbit their stars—sometimes thousands of astronomical ...

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...