Notice the spiral structure here? This isn't a galaxy; it's a computer simulation of a newly forming solar system. It's part of the disk instability model of how planets form, a model that's been less accepted by astronomers … until now. A new discovery suggests this model may be correct. If so, Jupiter-like worlds may be common around nearby sunlike stars. Image via astronomical theorist Alan Boss/Carnegie Science.
The discovery of exoplanet GJ 3512b - a planet too big for its star - adds fuel to the competition between 2 theoretical models of how planets form. It suggests many more Jupiter-like planets are waiting to be found, orbiting nearby sunlike stars. Read more.
Looking for Venus? It's already visible to Southern Hemisphere viewers and will soon come into view in the west after sunset for us in the Northern Hemisphere. This video tracks Venus from when it reappears again to May 2020. Check out the planet's phases, and read more.
Here’s a detailed view of the radiant point of the Draconid meteor shower, which probably peaks this evening, in the light of a bright moon. The radiant is highest in the north at nightfall now. That’s why this meteor shower is best in early evening – not after midnight – as seen from around the world. Read more.
View at EarthSky Community Photos. | Marvin Price captured crepuscular rays - aka sunrays - over a marsh on Jekyll Island, Georgia, at sunset on Friday. Thanks, Marvin!
