Astronomers watch a new solar system forming around a star

Technology Jul 28, 2025

For the first time ever, astronomers have actually watched a new solar system starting to form around a young star called HOPS-315, about 1,300 light-years away.
This rare glimpse into planet-making was published in Nature.

Tiny crystals—The building blocks of planets

Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), scientists found tiny crystals—basically the building blocks of planets—forming in HOPS-315's dusty disk.
Follow-up checks with ALMA confirmed these "seeds" are right where an asteroid belt would be.

HOPS-315 is giving researchers a front-row seat to solar systems

Even though you can't see HOPS-315 with backyard telescopes, it's giving researchers a front-row seat to how planets like Earth might start out.
Ongoing observations could help us understand how solar systems form all over the galaxy.