Neptune Like Planet (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Neptune Like Planet

Caption

Neptune-mass exoplanets like the one shown in this artist's rendering may be the most common in the icy regions of planetary systems. Beyond a certain distance from a young star, water and other substances remain frozen, leading to an abundant population of icy objects that can collide and form the cores of new planets. In the foreground, an icy body left over from this period drifts past the planet.

Credit

NASA/Goddard/Francis Reddy

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