Young Sun Reveals Rare Glimpseโฃ of Planet Birth
Astronomers have capturedโข a rare โimage of a planet still in the process of forming around a young star remarkably similarโฃ to our own Sun. The discovery, made possible byโค observations inโข both infrared and visible light, offers a unique window into theโข early stages of planet formation. Researchersโ quickly requested โขadditional observations after โthe initial detection,โค recognizing the โsignificance โof theโ find.
This marks only theโค second confirmed โdetection of a planet at this early stage ofโ development around a star akin to our Sun; the first wasโข identified in 2018 by a team including Dr. Christian ginski. The newly discovered planet, designated WISPIT 2b, was initially observed glowing with residual heat from its formation, visible through near-infrared imaging โข- similar to what night-vision goggles reveal.
A team fromโ leiden University and the University of Galway secured a clear image of WISPIT 2b embeddedโฃ within a gap in the surrounding disk of dust and gas. โคFurtherโค analysis confirmed the planet is actively orbiting its host star. Observations from the University โof Arizona, utilizing aโ specialized instrument, revealed that WISPIT 2b isโ still actively gathering gas,โค a crucial โขstep in building its atmosphere.
These swirling disks of dustโฃ and โgas around youngโข stars are the nurseries where planets are born.โฃ Frequently enough exhibiting โcomplex structures like rings and spiral arms, these โขfeatures are believed to be shaped โby โขthe gravitational โinfluence of forming โขplanets. The disk surrounding WISPIT 2b is vast, extendingโ outwards for 380 astronomical units – 380 times the distance between โขthe Earth and the Sun.
The research wasโ spearheaded by Richelle โvan Capelleveen, a โPhD studentโ at Leiden University, โand co-led by a graduateโค student team at the University of Galway. Dr.โข Ginski and three astrophysics graduate students from the โUniversity of Galway also contributedโค to theโ findings.
“Discovering this planet was an amazing experience โค- we were incredibly โlucky,” said van Capelleveen.โค
Chloe Lawlor, a PhD student at the University of Galway,โ expressed her excitement, โฃstating, “I feel incredibly blessed to be involvedโ in such an exciting and perhaps career-defining discovery. โฃWISPIT 2b โคis aโข beautifulโ example โขthat will help us refine our understanding โขof how planetsโ form, and this work is certain to become a landmark study.”
MSc โขstudents Jake Byrne and Dan โMcLachlan, โalso from the Universityโข of galway, echoed this sentiment. โByrne described theโ initial image as “remarkable,” anticipating it will “spark discussion within the research community.” mclachlan added, “It was such a mind-blowing thing to be aโ part of, and I’m grateful to the University of Galway physics department andโค Dr. Ginski for thisโ incredible chance.”
