For centuries, the quest for new elements was a driving force in many scientific disciplines. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. For ...

Volatile mystery The rocky planets Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars. (Courtesy: NASA) Planetary scientists in France have reviewed and analysed recent research on the origins of “volatile” elements in ...

Alfredo has a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum Fields and Fundamental Forces from Imperial College London.View full profile Alfredo has a PhD in Astrophysics and a Master's in Quantum ...

Of all the planets, dwarf planets, moons, asteroids and more in the Solar System, only one object can be the densest. You might think, based on the fact that gravitation is a runaway process that just ...

In two separate studies, researchers identify nucleosynthetic isotope anomalies in the volatile elements potassium (K) and zinc (Zn) in meteorites, which constrain the origins of the material that ...

Billions of years ago, in some forgotten corner of the Milky Way, a molecular cloud like many others collapsed to form new stars. One of them formed in relative isolation, collecting material in a ...

We are all, as Carl Sagan said, star-dust. You might think that since most stars are pretty much the same, all star-dust is equal. But we have evidence that some star-dust is more equal than others.

Spectral analysis of sunlight reveals the presence of numerous elements, including hydrogen, sodium, iron, and calcium. Hydrogen and helium constitute approximately 98% of the Sun's mass. Heavier ...

A cataclysmic collision between the remnants of a pair of dead stars may have seeded our solar system with precious heavy metals including gold and uranium, according to a newly published study. If ...

The solar system is 4.54 billion years old, based on rock dating. Gas giants (Jupiter and Saturn) likely formed first. Ice giants (Uranus and Neptune) probably formed next. Rocky planets formed last, ...