Earth could have lost anywhere between ten and 60 per cent of its atmosphere in the collision that is thought to have formed the Moon. New research led by Durham University, UK, shows how the extent ...

Hit-and-run collisions between embryonic planets during a critical period in the early history of the Solar System may account for some previously unexplained properties of planets, asteroids, and ...

In the remote outer reaches of planetary systems, far beyond the orbit of known planets, enormous and mysterious worlds silently loop around their stars. Some drift as far as 10,000 times the distance ...

The mystery at Jupiter's heart has taken a fresh twist – as new research suggests a giant impact may not have been responsible for the formation of its core. It had been thought that a colossal ...

The formation of Mercury remains an unsolved mystery. The planet closest to the Sun has a disproportionately large metallic core – accounting for about 70% of its mass – and a relatively small rocky ...