Planet news, features and articles

The largest known Martian meteorite, NWA 16788, has been sold at auction for $5.3 million. The hefty chunk of the Red Planet, which weighs 54 pounds, could help unravel new secrets about Mars — if it's allowed to be studied.

The thick, mineral-rich layers of clay found on Mars suggest that the Red Planet harbored potentially life-hosting environments for long stretches in the ancient past, a new study suggests.

Mars has lost immense amounts of water over it lifetime, and scientists aren't sure exactly how. New research hints that the planet's violently varying tilt may be a key factor.

Astronomers have spotted an alien planet orbiting so closely to its home star, the planet's magnetic field is triggering massive solar flares to erupt. This is the first time a planet has been seen influencing its host star.

Astronomers have discovered the strange dance that leads to the creation of rare "double hot Jupiters" in binary star systems that are "just right."

Surprising colors and stunning features are captured in a new image of Mars' surface.

Nestled inside a planetary ring 110 light-years from Earth, a planet spotted by the James Webb telescope is the lightest exoplanet ever detected.

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array has detected methanol isotopes around a nearby star, which could help explain why the ingredients for life are present on Earth.