A Super-Jupiter’s Atmosphere Holds a Clue From Its Birth Cloud
JWST finds deuterated methane in a cold super-Jupiter, revealing how a rare isotope may preserve clues to the icy material that built it.
planet formation
A Small Star’s Giant Planet May Reveal How Big Worlds Form
A faint giant planet and debris disk around a young M dwarf could test competing ideas of planet formation, but its origins remain uncertain.
A Methane-Rich Planet May Not Need a Soot-Rich Interior After All
A new atmospheric model asks whether methane-rich sub-Neptunes need carbon-rich interiors—or whether water and planetary chemistry tell a different story.
Why a Planet-Sized Collision Could Help Save a Planet’s Sky
A new model suggests giant impacts may help growing rocky planets retain hydrogen-rich atmospheres, reshaping the story of planet formation.