It’s only the second confirmed case of capturing image of a ‘protoplanet’ around a young star outside our solar system.Published Sep 04, 20255 minute readThis image, taken with European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, is the first clear detection of a baby planet in a disc with multiple rings. These so-called protoplanetary discs surround young stars and appear as disc-shaped structures of gas and dust, often with rings like the one in this image. They are the birthplace of planets, and the rings are thought to indicate the presence of (hungry) planets in the disc. ESO/R. F. van Capelleveen et al. Photo by ESO/R. F. van Capelleveen et al. /ESO/R. F. van Capelleveen et al.Article contentAstronomers recently captured the first image of a baby planet, or “protoplanet,” in the process of forming outside our solar system. It is happening within a circumplanetary or protoplanetary disk around a young star – only the second confirmed case of its kind. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentThe first planet found in a protoplanetary disk around a star was discovered in July 2018. Article contentArticle contentUsing the Spectro-Polarimetric High-resolution Exoplanet REsearch instrument (SPHERE) on the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, astronomers captured the first confirmed image of a giant gas planet (named PDS 70b) forming in the primordial circumplanetary disk of the dwarf star PDS 70 in the constellation of Centaurus, the Centaur, located approximately 370 light years from Earth. Article contentArticle contentStudying how planets are formed Article contentStars are formed when an accumulation of dust and gas begins to collapse inward due to gravity. Article contentWhen the collapsing dust and gas reach a threshold of density and heat, it ignites, creating a star. Scientists now believe a similar process creates planets when they emerge from the giant, doughnut-shaped disk of primordial dust and gas left over once the star has stopped accreting material; the disk of dust and gas which then circles the newly formed star, as a protoplanetary disk. Article content This infrared image from NASA’s Spitzer Space Telescope shows a cloud of gas and dust full of bubbles, which are inflated by wind and radiation from massive young stars. Each bubble is filled with hundreds to thousands of stars, which form from dense clouds of gas and dust. NASA/JPL-Caltech Photo by NASA/JPL-Caltech /NASAArticle contentThis disk contains the ingredients for the formation of planets, big and small, rocky or gaseous. Astronomers have observed other protoplanetary disks around numerous other stars, some of which displayed gaps in the disk, suggesting that there might be a protoplanet clearing and accreting material in its path as it orbited the star. Article contentArticle contentArticle contentBaby planet WISPIT 2b Article contentWhat makes this newly discovered baby planet different from the first such planet discovered is that it is the first unambiguous detection of a planet taking shape within a multi-ringed protoplanetary disk around a star outside our solar system. Article contentThe young protoplanet, named WISPIT 2b, is located in the protoplanetary disk around a young star (WISPIT 2) in the constellation of Aquila, the Eagle. The protoplanetary disk extends approximately 380 astronomical Units (1 astronomical unit or AU equals the average distance between Earth and the Sun, approximately 149 million kilometres). Article contentWISPIT 2 has four concentric rings of dust and gas around it, with one prominent gap (the third gap) at approximately 68 AU from the star; it is within this gap that WISPIT 2b is located. A possible second candidate protoplanet named CC1, has been imaged inside a dust-free gap located about 15 AU from the star, but has not yet been confirmed. Article contentIt’s a ‘very, very large baby’ Article contentDiscovered during an unrelated, five-year observational study by astronomers at the Leiden University in the Netherlands, the University of Galway in Ireland, and the University of Arizona, WISPIT 2b was first photographed in near-infrared light before being later photographed in visible light. Article contentObserving the protoplanet through a specially designed instrument, astronomers at the University of Arizona discovered that the protoplanet was still actively accreting material from the surrounding protoplanetary disk. It was recently photographed by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in the Atacama Desert in Chile. Article contentArticle contentThe images indicated that WISPIT 2b is, in fact, a very, very large baby; although estimated to be only about 5 million years old – young in cosmic terms – WISPIT 2b is already five times the size of Jupiter. To see a picture of WISPIT 2b, go to eso.org/public/images/potw2534a/. Article contentStudying WISPIT 2b could provide clues into evolution of our solar system Article contentThe imaging of exoplanets in the earliest stages of formation has always been challenging due to the opacity of the dust-gas disks and the faintness of the planets. Article contentThe discovery of WISPIT 2b will enable astronomers to witness in real-time the interaction between a protoplanet and the protoplanetary disk in which it is located. Article contentThe fact that WISPIT 2b is located within a multiple-concentric-ringed disk, long believed to be created by forming planets within the disk, validates the theory of disk substructure as a possible planetary signature. Article contentArticle contentAs the protoplanetary disk around WISPIT 2 appears to be similar to the disk that planetary scientists believe formed around the sun when our solar system was first forming approximately 4.6 billion years ago, in addition to helping astronomers understand how solar systems form and evolve in general, the study of WISPIT 2b could provide valuable clues to the processes that created the planets in our own solar system. Article contentPlanetary bodies in the night sky Article contentMercury (mag. -1.3, in Leo, the Lion), soon to pass behind the sun (superior solar conjunction) on Sept. 13, is not observable this coming week, as it is no higher than 1 degree above the eastern horizon at dawn. Article contentVenus (mag. -4.0, in Cancer, the Crab), now moving closer to the sun after reaching its greatest elongation west of the sun, rises shortly before 4 a.m. ADT, reaching 23 degrees above the eastern horizon before fading from view into the brightening dawn by about 6:20 a.m. ADT. Article contentMars (mag. +1.6, in Virgo, the Maiden), soon to pass behind the sun (superior solar conjunction), is not observable this coming week, as it is no higher than 2 degrees above the western horizon at dusk. Article contentJupiter (mag. -2.0, in Gemini, the Twins), currently emerging from behind the sun, rises above the eastern horizon around 1:40 a.m. ADT, reaching 46 degrees above the eastern horizon before fading from view in the brightening dawn by about 6:20 a.m. ADT. Article contentSaturn (mag. +0.7, in Pisces, the Fish), approaching opposition on Sept. 21, becomes accessible 11 degrees above the eastern horizon by about 9:20 p.m. ADT, before reaching its highest point in the sky 41 degrees above the southern horizon around 2 a.m. ADT, and then getting lost in the dawn twilight around 6 a.m. ADT 18 degrees above the southwest horizon. On Sept. 8, the waning Moon is in close conjunction with Saturn. Article contentArticle contentUranus (mag. +5.7, in Taurus, the Bull), currently emerging from behind the sun, rises in the east around 10:25 p.m. ADT, reaching 63 degrees above the southeast horizon before fading with the approaching dawn by about 5:25 a.m. ADT. Article contentNeptune (mag. +7.8, in Pisces), approaching opposition on Sept. 23, becomes accessible when it reaches 21 degrees above the southeast horizon around 10:25 p.m. ADT. It will reach its highest point in the sky 42 degrees above the southern horizon shortly after 2a.m. and then fade from view in the dawn twilight 25 degrees above the southwest horizon around 5 :25 a.m. ADT. Neptune shares the close conjunction of the waning Moon and Saturn on Sept. 8. Article contentCorrection to last week’s article: the Andromeda Galaxy is located 2.5 million light years from Earth, not 2,500 million light years. Apologies. Article contentUntil next week, clear skies. Article contentEvents: Article contentSept. 8 – Moon in close conjunction with Saturn and Neptune Sept. 10 – Moon at perigee; closest approach to Earth at 364,781 km Sept. 12 – Moon in close approach to M45 – the Pleiades or “The Seven Sisters” open star cluster in Taurus, the Bull Sept. 13 – Mercury passes behind the sun; superior solar conjunction Sept. 14 – Last Quarter Moon Article content
ATLANTIC SKIES: Astronomers witness the genesis of a new planet
