Combination of cosmic processes shapes the size and location of sub-Neptunes

A combination of cosmic processes shapes the formation of one of the most common types of planets outside of our solar system, a new study finds.

The research team, which included University of Arizona planetary scientists, used data from NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, or TESS, to study young sub-Neptunes — planets bigger than Earth but smaller than Neptune — that orbit close to their stars.