Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Leslie Katz covers the intersection of culture, science and tech. A yellowish-orange glow bathes Phainoterra, a planet of dramatic ...

Just two decades after astronomers discovered the first exoplanet, NASA has confirmed the existence of 6,000 alien worlds. The total will rise even quicker as next-generation telescopes take flight.

Every year, Earth follows a familiar pattern of seasonal changes: As summer rolls around in the Northern Hemisphere, winter creeps in in the Southern Hemisphere, and vice versa. But do other planets ...

Researchers have discovered more than 6,000 exoplanets in our Milky Way. Of these, the sub-Neptune class, which are smaller than Neptune and more massive than Earth, are the most common. These planets ...