'Baby' planet discovered in dust ring around young star
Astronomers just confirmed WISPIT-2b, a massive gas giant protoplanet about five times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting a young Sun-like star called WISPIT-2.
It's sitting in a huge disk of dust and gas, 434 light-years from Earth—way farther from its star than Earth is from the Sun.
First planet found making gaps in a multi-ringed disk
WISPIT-2b is the first planet found making gaps in a multi-ringed disk, showing us how planets might shape their surroundings as they form.
Using advanced telescopes like ESO's VLT and MagAO-X, scientists are now able to watch planet formation almost as it happens.
Helps us understand how solar systems like ours might have started out
Because WISPIT-2b is still forming and gathering material, researchers get a front-row seat to see how young planets interact with their disks—helping us understand how solar systems like ours might have started out.