Astronomers Find Young Exoplanets, These Planets Formed in Strange Ways

KOMPAS.com – Astronomers rediscover exoplanet or planet outside Solar system. But interestingly, this gas giant exoplanet is still in the process of being formed.

Exoplanet This new discovery can change our understanding of planet formation.

The protoplanet, which was later named AB Aurigae b, appears to have formed at a great distance from its star, AB Aurigae. Besides that, new exoplanet this is formed in an unusual way.

As quoted from Science AlertTuesday (5/4/2022) evidence shows that the planet formed through the gravitational collapse of a gas cloud from top to bottom.

It is not the more commonly accepted bottom-up formation and occurs from the gradual accumulation of dust and rock.

The findings of AB Aurigae b began when scientists observed exoplanet by Mr. Auriga star young people who are not more than 5 million years old. For comparison, the Sun is 4.6 billion years old.

Star still surrounded by a thick, turbulent disk of gas and dust.

Also read: Astronomers Find Baby Planets, Here’s What This Young Exoplanet Looks Like

During the observation, the researchers suspected that they were looking at a new exoplanets formed at a distance similar to Neptune.

However, the new study led by astrophysicist Thayne Currie of the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan’s Subaru Telescope found something else after making more detailed observations of the space object.

Young exoplanet discovered Using the Subaru Telescope and the Hubble Telescope, researchers were able to reveal clumps and other features in the disk consistent with the formation of an exoplanet about 93 astronomical units from AB Aurigae.

The research team’s calculations also show that the planet that formed was about nine times the mass of Jupiter.

Planet formation This ultimately supports the idea that there are many ways in which a planet can form.

Invention exoplanet muda it also shows the rich and amazing diversity of planetary systems in the Milky Way Galaxy.

Also read: New giant exoplanet detected by NASA satellite, like what?

Then, actually how planets form?

There are at least two theories regarding the formation of planets. First, the formation of planets in a way called the core accretion model.

While the star is still surrounded by a thick and turbulent disk of gas and dust, it is these two elements that will then support the star’s growth.

What’s left of that disk will go on to form other elements that make up planetary systems as well as smaller objects such as asteroids, dwarf planets, comets, and other rocks.

In this model, the pieces of rock in the disk of dust and gas of the protoplanetary stick together, through electrostatic forces, then through gravity, then forming larger and larger bodies, until a planet is formed from the bottom up.

Exoplanet The resulting solid core has a relatively cool and faint shape.

Another model for planet formation is known as the disk instability model.

Also read: This giant exoplanet is bombarded with iron metal, astronomers find evidence

For a planet to form in this way, the cooling protoplanetary disk caused gravitational instability and ruptured.

Part of the disk then gravitationally collapses into a gas giant. In this model, exoplanets do not have solid cores and form hotter and brighter.

From observations of the exoplanet AB Aurigae blah, the researchers finally assessed if the exoplanet was formed through the disk instability model.

“Nature is smart, it can produce planets in many different ways,” Currie said.

These new exoplanetary findings shed light on several new processes involved in planet formation and may even help us better understand our own Solar System.

Future studies of AB Aurigae using more powerful instruments will allow us to explore the evolution of the small corner of the Milky Way galaxy.

“This new discovery is strong evidence that some gas giant planets can form through disk instability mechanisms,” said Alan Boss, an astrophysicist from the Carnegie Institution of Science who was not involved in the study.

Research on the discovery of these newly formed young exoplanets has been published in the journal Nature Astronomy.

Also read: Astronomers Use Radio Waves to Detect Exoplanets for the First Time

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