Tag Archives: forming

Two Protoplanets Forming in Dusty Disk Around Nearby Young Star: Key Discoveries in Planet Formation

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Astronomers utilizing ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and VLT Interferometer (VLTI) in Chile have made groundbreaking discoveries by directly observing two giant gas planets forming within a planet-forming disk around the star Whispit 2. This research offers one of the most detailed insights into planetary system formation to date, highlighted by distinctive gaps and rings of surrounding material, which suggest the likelihood of additional alien worlds in the vicinity.

Images captured by ESO’s Very Large Telescope illustrate a young planetary system orbiting the star WISPIT 2. Image credit: ESO / Lawlor and colleagues.

“WISPIT 2 represents our clearest glimpse into the early stages of planetary formation,” stated Dr. Chloe Lawler, a researcher from Galway University.

“This discovery enables us to study entire planetary systems, rather than just individual planets in isolation,” noted Dr. Christian Ginski, also associated with the University of Galway.

“Such observations are crucial for enhancing our understanding of how nascent planetary systems evolve into mature systems like our own,” he added.

The first protoplanet found in the WISPIT 2 system, designated WISPIT 2b, was identified last year and has a mass nearly five times that of Jupiter, orbiting at a distance approximately 60 times that between the Earth and the Sun.

“Discovering this new world in formation showcases the remarkable capabilities of our current astronomical instruments,” commented Dr. Richelle van Capelveen from the Leiden Observatory.

Subsequent observations detected additional objects near WISPIT 2, with measurements from the VLT and VLTI confirming their planetary nature.

The newly identified planet, WISPIT 2c, is located four times closer to its host star and is twice as massive as WISPIT 2b.

Both planets are gas giants, akin to the outer planets in our solar system.

To validate WISPIT 2c, astronomers employed the SPHERE instrument on the VLT, followed by VLTI’s GRAVITY+ instrument to confirm it as a planet.

“Our study leveraged recent enhancements to GRAVITY+, which were essential for detecting such a clear planet in proximity to its star,” stated Dr. Guillaume Bourdaro from the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics.

Both planets orbiting WISPIT 2 manifest in distinct gaps within the surrounding dust and gas disk, a phenomenon caused by each planet’s gravitational influence.

The material remaining around each gap forms unique dust rings within the disk composition.

In addition to the gaps hosting the two planets, at least one smaller gap exists further out in the WISPIT 2 disk.

“This narrower and shallower gap may indicate the presence of a third planet, possibly with a mass akin to Saturn,” Lawler speculated.

The findings are set to be detailed in an upcoming article in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

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Chloe Lawler and colleagues. 2026. Direct spectroscopy confirmation of the young embedded protoplanet WISPIT 2c. APJL 1000, L38; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ae4b3b

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers Discover Protoplanets Forming in Disk Gaps Around Young Solar Analogues

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Astronomers have successfully captured direct images of the 4.9 Jupiter Mass Protoplanet using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) sphere instruments, revealing clear gaps in the multi-ring protoplanetary disk. The star Whispit 2 (TYC 5709-354-1) is a solar analog, approximately 5 million years old, located 133 parsecs (434 light-years) away in the constellation Aquila.

This image taken with the ESO’s Very Large Telescope captures the first clear observation of a protoplanet within a disk featuring multiple rings. Image credit: ESO/Van Capelleveen et al.

A protoplanetary disk is typically accompanied by a ring and is a disc-shaped structure of gas and dust surrounding a young star.

These disks are the birthplaces of planets, with rings often suggesting the presence of hungry planets within the disk.

Initially, particles within the spinning disk begin to accumulate, drawing in more material from the surrounding disk until gravitational forces take hold, leading to the formation of an embryonic planet.

“Discovering Wispit 2B was an extraordinary experience. We were incredibly fortunate,” stated Dr. Richelle Van Capelleveen, an astronomer at the Leiden Observatory.

“Wispit 2, a younger version of our Sun, belongs to a small group of young stars, and we didn’t anticipate uncovering such an impressive system.”

“This system will serve as a benchmark for many years to come.”

“We’ve encountered many instances in our research,” remarked Christian Ginsky, a researcher at Galway University.

“However, in this case, we detected a remarkably unexpected and beautiful multi-ring dust disk.”

“Upon first encountering this multi-ring disk, I realized I had to attempt to detect the planets within it, immediately requesting follow-up observations.”

Astronomer captured a stunning transparent image of Whispit 2B situated in the gap of the disk, confirming that the planet orbits its host star.

“Wispit 2B marks the first clear detection of a planet on a multi-ring disk, providing an ideal setting for studying the interactions of planetary disks and their evolution,” they noted.

The Wispit 2B was observed in near-infrared light, retaining its brightness and heat from the initial formation phase.

The same is true for planets detected in visible light using the 6.5m Magellan Telescope MAGAO-X AO system and the large binocular interferometer (LBTI) Lmircam instrument.

This detection at specific wavelengths indicates that the planet is actively gathering gas as it develops its atmosphere.

“Located within the birth disk, Wispit 2B exemplifies a planet that can be utilized to explore current models of planet formation,” stated PhD student Chloe Lawler from Galway University.

The researchers estimated the radius of the disk surrounding Wispit 2B to be 380 AU (astronomical units) or about 380 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun.

“The discovery of Wispit 2B is remarkable,” commented Jake Byrne, a student pursuing an M.Sc. at Galway University.

The findings are detailed in two papers published in the Astrophysics Journal Letter.

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Richelle F. Van Capelvein et al. 2025. Wide separation planet (Wispit): A gap clear planet Wispit 2 of a multi-ring disc around a young solar-shaped star. apjl 990, L8; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/ADF721

Laird M. Crows et al. 2025. Wide Separate Planet (Wispit): Discovery of GAPHα Protoplanet Wispit 2B Magao-X. apjl 990, L9; doi: 10.3847/2041-8213/adf7a5

Source: www.sci.news

Astronomers May Have Detected a Gas Giant Still Forming Around RIK 113

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Astronomers utilizing ESO’s Extremely Large Telescope (VLT) have captured stunning images of a highly structured planetary formation disc surrounding the star Rik 113.

This image, captured with a very large telescope at ESO in Chile, illustrates the RIK113 system. Image credits: ESO/Ginski et al.

RIK 113 is located approximately 431 light-years away in the constellation Scorpio.

Also referred to as 2MASSJ16120668-3010270, this star hosts a structured protoplanetary disc.

“In a study published last year, the intricate nature of this protoplanetary disc was first unveiled by the Atacama Large Millimeter/sub-millimeter Array (ALMA),” remarked Galway astronomer Christian Ginsky and colleagues.

“These findings indicated the presence of gaps, suggestive of planet-like objects within them.”

“This prompted the team to conduct follow-up observations using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT).”

Employing VLT’s Sphere Instrument, Dr. Ginski and co-authors obtained a new image of the system, revealing an appealing spiral feature in the inner ring.

“Our team is currently examining nearly 100 planet-forming discs around nearby stars, and these images are exceptional,” Dr. Ginsky noted.

“It is rare to find a system exhibiting both rings and spiral arms. This aligns almost perfectly with predictions regarding how planets form from the parent disk, according to theoretical models.”

“Such detections bring us a step closer to comprehending how planets, in general, formed and the origins of our solar system in the far past.”

A detailed analysis of the VLT/Sphere data hinted at two potential signals, as well as two possible signals from a protoplanet orbiting Rik 113, close to the original detection by ALMA.

At this stage, these signals serve more as proposals than definitive confirmations.

Nonetheless, these results are highly promising for future explorations, with both ALMA and VLT studies indicating the presence of at least one planet.

“We identified an inner disc (up to 40 AU) with two spiral arms, which are separated by a gap from the outer ring extending to 115 AU,” the astronomer stated.

“Comparing with unique and hydrodynamic models from the literature, we found that these structures are consistent with the existence of embedded gas giants, with masses ranging from 0.1 to 5 Jupiter masses depending on the model and its underlying assumptions.”

“The RIK 113 system is one of the few that displays this remarkable form of spiral arms amidst the scattered gaps of light and the ring,” they added.

“We hypothesize that this could be linked to higher disk viscosity compared to other systems, such as PDS 70.”

“If a planet in the disk is confirmed, RIK 113 will become a focal point for studying planetary disk interactions.”

Study published online in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics.

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C. Ginsky et al. 2025. Disk evolution studies with imaging of nearby young stars (Destinys): 2MassJ16120668-3010270 Evidence of planetary disk interaction in the system. A&A in press; doi: 10.1051/0004-6361/202451647

Source: www.sci.news

The Hubble Space Telescope Discovers a Spiral Galaxy Forming Stars

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of NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope It has provided astronomers with a detailed new image of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5668.

In this image of the barred spiral galaxy NGC 5668, the Hubble Space Telescope was used to survey the area surrounding a Type II supernova event called SN 2004G to study the types of stars that end their lives as supernovae. The color image is composed of near-infrared and visible light observations by the Hubble Space Telescope's Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS). Two filters were used to sample different wavelengths. The colors are obtained by assigning a different color to each monochromatic image associated with an individual filter. Image courtesy of NASA / ESA / Hubble / C. Kilpatrick.

NGC 5668 It is located in the constellation Virgo and is about 90 million light years away from Earth.

This galaxy, also known as IRAS 14309+0440, LEDA 52018, and UGC 9363, Found It was discovered on April 29, 1786 by German-born British astronomer William Herschel.

NGC 5668 belongs to two galaxy groups: the NGC 5638 group and the NGC 5746 group.

“At first glance, NGC 5668 does not appear to be a remarkable galaxy,” the Hubble astronomers said.

“It has a diameter of about 90,000 light-years and is roughly the same size and mass as our own Milky Way galaxy. It faces almost head-on, revealing open spiral arms made up of irregular, cloud-like patches.”

“One striking difference between the Milky Way and NGC 5668 is that new stars are forming 60 percent faster in this galaxy.”

“This confirms a galaxy with swirling clouds and gas flows, and bad weather that creates the perfect conditions for new star formation.”

Astronomers have identified two main drivers of star formation in NGC 5668.

“First, this high-quality Hubble Space Telescope snapshot reveals a central bar,” the researchers said.

“Although it may appear slightly elliptical rather than truly bar-shaped, it is likely to influence the galaxy's star formation rate, similar to the bar-like structure at the centers of many spiral galaxies.”

“Second, a high-velocity hydrogen gas cloud has been tracked moving perpendicularly between the galaxy's disk and the faint, spherical halo that surrounds it.”

“They are produced by the powerful stellar winds of hot, massive stars, which feed gas into new star-forming regions.”

“The elevated star formation rate in NGC 5668 is accompanied by a corresponding abundance of supernova explosions,” the researchers said.

“It has been discovered three times in our galaxy, in 1952, 1954, and 2004.”

Source: www.sci.news

Study suggests Mimas, one of Saturn’s moons, could be responsible for forming Earth’s oceans beneath its icy shell

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From a detailed analysis of Mimas’s orbital motion based on data from NASA’s Cassini mission, planetary researchers from the Sorbonne, the University of Nantes, Queen Mary University of London, Franche-Comte University, and Jinan University have discovered that the heavily cratered They showed that some ice shells hide recently formed ice shells. (less than 2-3 million years ago) global ocean 20-30 km deep.

The surface of Mimas, like the surfaces of other major Saturn moons that do not have atmospheres, is not pure ice but contains some black impurities. Relatively dark markings appear along the lower part of the walls of the 130km-wide Herschel Crater (the crater's central peak is about the same height as Mount Everest); the impact may have all but destroyed the Moon. there is). some small craters. Scientists interpret the darkening as evidence that the impurities have gradually become concentrated as icy material evaporates in areas where they are slowly sliding down the crater walls. Image credit: NASA / JPL / Space Science Institute.

There is growing evidence that some moons may have oceans beneath their surfaces, but such watery worlds are difficult to detect.

Mimas — Saturn's innermost and smallest (radius = 198.2 km, or 123 miles) regular moon — is an unlikely candidate due to the different nature of its surface compared to other icy moons such as Enceladus .

This theory has been challenged by Sorbonne University researcher Valerie Rainey and others who are evaluating Cassini's observations of small satellites.

Previous research suggests two possibilities inside Mimas. It is either an elongated rocky core or a global ocean.

A new study reveals that the small moon's rotational motion and orbit change due to internal influences.

For the solid-state model to apply, the rock core must be elongated and approximately pancake-shaped, which is inconsistent with observations.

Rather, measurements of Mimas' position suggest that the evolution of its orbit is better explained as influenced by an internal ocean.

The researchers calculate that the ocean lies beneath an ice shell about 20 to 30 kilometers deep.

Their simulations suggest that it appeared between 25 and 2 million years ago.

Therefore, signs of such an underground ocean would not have had time to leave traces on the surface.

This result suggests that recent processes on Mimas may have been common during the early stages of the formation of other ice worlds.

“Mimas was a small moon with a cratered surface and no sign of an ocean hidden beneath,” said co-author Nick Cooper, a researcher at Queen Mary University of London. the doctor said.

“With this discovery, Mimas joins an exclusive club of moons with inland oceans, including Enceladus and Europa, but with a unique difference: its oceans are surprisingly young.”

of study Published in today's magazine Nature.

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V. Rainey other. 2024. A recently formed ocean within Saturn's moon Mimas. Nature 626, 280-282; doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06975-9

Source: www.sci.news