Astronomers witness the birth of a new solar system
While discoveries of planets around other stars have been numerous since the first confirmation, observing the formation of a new solar system remains a rare event.
An image of WISPIT 2 captured by the Very Large Telescope in Chile. A second gas giant has recently formed from the star’s protoplanetary disk.
ESO/C. Lawlor, R. F. van Capelleveen et al.
Planets orbiting stars beyond our own offer insights into fundamental questions such as the origins of our solar system. Traditionally, astronomers have located planets with ages comparable to those in our solar system. However, this is beginning to change.
A recent publication in Astrophysical Journal Letters unveils the formation of a new solar system around a star located approximately 437 light-years away from Earth. This is only the second confirmed instance, following the discovery of PDS 70 in 2018.
“This discovery is truly thrilling,” expressed Jason Wang, an astronomer at Northwestern University, who was not part of the study. “In astronomy, we often joke that having a single example is an anomaly, but two constitutes a population.”
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Last year, a team of astronomers disclosed that a star, WISPIT 2, was forming a protoplanet, WISPIT 2b. This event marked the first imaging of a nascent planet within a protoplanetary disk. The team now believes there are two gas giants, the second being about 10 times the size of Jupiter.
Researchers anticipate the discovery of additional protoplanets around WISPIT 2. The star appears encircled by a more extensive and structured ring of matter than PDS 70. Further in the disk, a smaller gap suggests the possible formation of a planet similar in size to Saturn. The discovery was made using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert. The researchers hope that the Extremely Large Telescope, its successor, will capture images of this third potential planet.
“These formations indicate that more planets are forming, which we will detect in time,” stated Chloe Lawlor, a Ph.D. student from the University of Galway in Ireland and the study’s lead author. By examining this new planetary nursery, astronomers aim to better understand the formation of our solar system.
Lawlor shared her surprise in leading such a pioneering study early in her career. “Many at my stage experience self-doubt,” she remarked. “I hope this finding shows others that even if they don’t have all the answers yet, they know enough to achieve significant milestones.”
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