Astronomers Say This Is The First Ever Image Of A Planet Being Born
- 6 years ago
Astronomers say that they have captured the first-ever image of a planet being born.
Astronomers have gathered what they say is the first-ever image of a planet being born. "SPHERE, a planet-hunting instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope, has captured the first confirmed image of a planet caught in the act of forming in the dusty disc surrounding a young star," notes a news release by the European Southern Observatory. "The young planet is carving a path through the primordial disc of gas and dust around the very young star PDS 70." It further reports that the newborn, named PDS 70b "is located roughly [1.9 billion miles] from the central star, roughly equivalent to the distance between Uranus and the Sun."
"The analysis shows that [it] is a giant gas planet with a mass a few times that of Jupiter. The planet's surface has a temperature of around [1800 degrees Fahrenheit], making it much hotter than any planet in our own Solar System," according to ESO.
Astronomers have gathered what they say is the first-ever image of a planet being born. "SPHERE, a planet-hunting instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope, has captured the first confirmed image of a planet caught in the act of forming in the dusty disc surrounding a young star," notes a news release by the European Southern Observatory. "The young planet is carving a path through the primordial disc of gas and dust around the very young star PDS 70." It further reports that the newborn, named PDS 70b "is located roughly [1.9 billion miles] from the central star, roughly equivalent to the distance between Uranus and the Sun."
"The analysis shows that [it] is a giant gas planet with a mass a few times that of Jupiter. The planet's surface has a temperature of around [1800 degrees Fahrenheit], making it much hotter than any planet in our own Solar System," according to ESO.