Our planet is changing before our eyes, and as a result, many species are living on the edge. Yet Earth has been on the edge of habitability from the beginning. New work shows that if Earth had been slightly smaller and less massive, it would not have plate tectonics-the forces that move continents and build mountains. And without plate tectonics, life might never have gained a foothold on our wor... read full post picked by AutumnLotus 12 months ago

The new definition, proposed this week by the International Astronomical Union (IAU), basically says every round object orbiting the sun is a planet, unless it orbits another planet. Asteroid Ceres will become a planet. Pluto's moon Charon will become a planet, things could get really strange. picked by Jaxomlotus 2 years ago

Three undergraduate students, from Leiden University in the Netherlands, have discovered an extrasolar planet. The extraordinary find, which turned up during their research project, is about five times as massive as Jupiter. This is also the first planet discovered orbiting a fast-rotating hot star. picked by AutumnLotus 1 month ago

Astronomers have discovered the first known planet to survive its "red-giant" phase, a period when an aging star expands and engulfs bodies orbiting it. The discovery of the gas-giant planet three times the size of Jupiter offers a look at the future of our own solar system and what will happen to the Earth when the sun grows old and collapses. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Planet-seekers who have spotted 28 new planets orbiting other stars in the past year say Earth's solar system is far from unique and there could be billions of habitable planets. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

The hottest planet ever discovered is charcoal black and makes even some stars seem cool. Scientists think the exoplanet absorbs nearly all the starlight that reaches its surface and then reradiates it back out into space as heat. picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

A gay boy wishes for a planet full of Unicorns. This is the story of that planet picked by dork 1 year ago

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg have discovered the youngest known extrasolar planet. Its host star is still surrounded by the disk of gas and dust from which it was only recently born. This discovery allows scientists to draw important conclusions about the timing of planet formation. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

I hope most of you can see the humor in this. Obviously NSFW for language. picked by MissWinkle 11 months ago

Chondritic meteorites have a similar chemical composition to the sun and are therefore reliable witnesses as to what the solar nebula, from which the planets formed, was composed of. This can be used to deduce what the Earth consists of chemically. However, ETH Zurich researchers have now discovered that strictly speaking this fundamental geological assumption is not true. picked by AutumnLotus 9 months ago

Astronomers have discovered what may be the smallest alien planet yet — a rocky ``SuperEarth'' only four times heavier than our home planet. picked by AutumnLotus 7 months ago

Science fiction may soon become science fact. Astronomers at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory have recently concluded that the upcoming planet-finding mission, SIM PlanetQuest, would be able to detect an Earth-like planet around the star 40 Eridani, a planet familiar to "Star Trek" fans as "Vulcan." picked by AutumnLotus 2 years ago

Our planet faces a fiery doom inside the sun unless future generations work out how to change its orbit.

New calculations by University of Sussex astronomers predict the Earth will be burnt to a cinder then swallowed up by the sun in about 7.6 billion years. picked by AutumnLotus 11 months ago

Classic sci-fi film cut down to half an hour and given the feel of a Twilight Zone episode. Why? Because of the involvement of Rod Serling in both - and the whopping great twist! picked by TheStep 2 years ago

A planet outside our solar system with a year roughly equal to Earth's has been discovered around a dying, red giant star. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

Theorists have what they think is a good handle on how rocky planets like Earth form. Leftovers of star formation collide, stick together and eventually form a ball of rock. However, the formation of gas giant planets is more mysterious. picked by AutumnLotus 1 year ago

This video explains that if we would dig a straight line between two points of the surface of the earth, and drop a capsule in it, it would take 42 minutes to reach the other side, no matter where. picked by Frog 4 months ago

With the start of Earth Month (Earth Day is April 22), so has a growing focus on environmentalism these days, Charleston Daily Mail went in search of cool green products. picked by Neiako 2 years ago

Chicken chick chicken "chicken chicken" chick... Chicken chicken, chicken chicken.

(Translation: Most hilarious video I've seen all day. Definite laugh for geek types, or even 'normal' people!) picked by joshdb 1 year ago

I love it. picked by Bornbad 11 months ago