US EditionAstronomers capture the birth of planets around a baby sun outside our solar system
ORION NEBULA, JUL 17 – Astronomers observed hot minerals condensing into planet-building blocks around protostar HOPS-315, marking the earliest known stage of planet formation beyond our Solar System.
- An international team of astronomers identified the earliest moment of planet formation around the baby star HOPS-315, publishing their results on July 16 in Nature.
- They accomplished this by examining infrared observations collected by the James Webb telescope alongside radio data obtained via the ALMA array, which uncovered the initial condensation of hot minerals within the star’s protoplanetary disc.
- Located about 1,300 light-years away, HOPS-315 shows strong similarities to the early Solar System and offers a unique way to study planetary formation processes previously unseen outside our Sun.
- Lead researcher Melissa McClure stated that their study marks the first occasion where the initial phase of planet formation has been observed around a star besides the Sun, while Edwin Bergin emphasized that this phenomenon has not previously been detected in any protoplanetary disk beyond our own solar system.
- This discovery offers new insights into the origins of planetary systems and demonstrates how combined JWST and ALMA observations can effectively explore the earliest planet-forming stages.
211 Articles
211 Articles
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Signs of the Times
eso.orgFor the first time, astronomers witness the dawn of a new solar system
International researchers have, for the first time, pinpointed the moment when planets began to form around a star beyond the Sun. Using the ALMA telescope, in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, and the James Webb Space Telescope, they have observed the creation of the first specks of planet-forming material — hot minerals just beginning to solidify. This finding marks the first time a planetary system has been identifie…
Des Moines Register
USA TodayHere's how a star beyond Earth's sun could offer a 'picture of the baby solar system'
International astronomers have for the first time witnessed the birth of a planetary system beyond Earth's sun that could one day resemble our own.
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