Astronomers spot under-1-million-year-old Jupiter-sized Elias 2-24 b 450 light-years away
Technology
Astronomers have spotted Elias 2-24 b, a planet less than 1 million years old, orbiting a distant star about 450 light-years away.
What's wild is that it's already as big as Jupiter, even though it formed in a spot where planets usually struggle to grow this large.
This gives scientists a rare chance to watch a planet basically in its baby years and learn how worlds like ours come together.
Elias 2-24 b outpaces formation models
Elias 2-24 b is growing way faster than current theories say is possible.
Its presence in a gap of its star's disk hints that it might be shaping its surroundings and clearing out material as it goes, something scientists didn't expect to see so soon.