Dhaka, Oct. 15 -- Planetary systems in the Milky Way fall into two broad families, with their parent stars helping determine their evolution and fate, Space.com reports.

Researchers led by the Italian National Institute for Astrophysics studied 300 multiplanet systems to understand how conditions around young stars influence planetary formation and stability.

The second family consists of more compact, lower-mass systems whose planets have relatively similar sizes and masses, a configuration researchers call "peas in a pod".

According to the space news website, these planets typically orbit closer to their stars than Mercury does to the sun.

The report also says violent gravitational events, including giant collisions and planetary ej...