Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics.
StarsThe young star WISPIT 2 as seen by the VLT with two forming protoplanets indicated.Contact me with news and offers from other Future brandsSign up to our monthly entertainment newsletter to keep up with all our coverage of the latest sci-fi and space movies, tv shows, games and books.
Discover this week's must-see night sky events, moon phases, and stunning astrophotos. Sign up for our skywatching newsletter and explore the universe with us!Space.com's Sci-Fi Reader's Club. Read a sci-fi short story every month and join a virtual community of fellow science fiction fans!Astronomers have observed two planets forming around a distant infant star, thus discovering a planetary system that offers us a look at the appearance of the solar system over 4 billion years ago.in question is named WISPIT 2, and it's located around 437 light-years away with an estimated age of around 5.4 million years old. If that makes this star sound anything but an infant, consider that our middle-aged star, theWISPIT 2 is surrounded by a donut-shaped cloud of gas and dust called a protoplanetary disk in which scientists have now detected two planets, designated WISPIT 2b and WISPIT 2c. And excitingly, there are structural hints with WISPIT 2's protoplanetary disk of more forming protoplanets."WISPIT 2 is the best look into our own past that we have to date," discovery team leader Chloe Lawlor of the University of Galway, Ireland,NASA space telescope gets 1st clear X-ray image of sun-like star blowing a bubble, lacks the extended disk and the distinct gaps and bands seen around WISPIT 2. That means that this system offers an unparalleled look at how planetary systems like our own "WISPIT 2 gives us a critical laboratory not just to observe the formation of a single planet but an entire planetary system," team member Christian Ginski of the University of Galway said in the statement.WISPIT 2b was the first infant planet discovered around this infant star, detected last year and determined to have a mass around five times that ofFollowing this discovery, astronomers found hints of an additional object closer to WISPIT 2, confirming this to be a planet using the and the VLT Interferometer . The newly found planet, WISPIT 2c, orbits its parent star at around 15 times the distance between Earth and the sun, meaning it's about four times closer to its star than WISPIT 2b is.Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors The researchers then captured an image of this forming planet using the VLT's Spectro-Polarimetric High-Contrast Exoplanet Research instrument, further confirming it is a planet with another VLT instrument, GRAVITY+. "Critically, our study made use of the recent upgrade to GRAVITY+ without which we would not have been able to get such a clear detection of the planet so close to its star," team member Guillaume Bourdarot of the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics in Germany said in the statement. The young star WISPIT 2 as seen by the VLT with two forming protoplanets indicated by dark gaps in the protoplanetary diskBoth WISPIT 2b and WISPIT 2c are carving grooves in the protoplanetary disk around their parent star. This is happening because, as they orbit the star, their gravitational influences collect material from the disk to facilitate their growth. At least one more planet is indicated in the system by a less-pronounced gap —further out from the system's central star than WISPIT 2b sits. The team hopes this third planet will be visible with the"We suspect there may be a third planet carving out this gap, potentially of Saturn's mass, owing to the gap's being much narrower and shallower," Lawlor said. Robert Lea is a science journalist in the U.K. whose articles have been published in Physics World, New Scientist, Astronomy Magazine, All About Space, Newsweek and ZME Science. He also writes about science communication for Elsevier and the European Journal of Physics. Rob holds a bachelor of science degree in physics and astronomy from the U.K.’s Open University. Follow him on Twitter @sciencef1rst.ExoplanetsMarsWatch all your favorite sci-fi content like 'For All Mankind' and 'Star City' anywhere with this exclusive deal and get a free $50 Amazon Gift Card and 77% off NordVPN
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