News Astronomy

A space rock collision may explain how this exoplanet was born

Convincing evidence for such collisions outside the solar system is rare

Kepler exoplanet

HEAVYWEIGHT EXOPLANET  Kepler 107c (illustrated) may be the first exoplanet known to have formed from the smashup of two massive space rocks.

NASA

By Jeremy Rehm

- More than 2 years ago

Cataclysmic collisions between space rocks have helped explain some of the solar system’s biggest mysteries, from how the moon formed to how Uranus got its lopsided rotation.