Scientists spot a planet as it's being born

[brooklynite]

Axios

Scientists for the first time spotted a new planet being born while nestled within the dusty disk surrounding a young dwarf star. The findings are detailed in two studies describing an exoplanet in its early state of formation and include the first-known clear image of a young planet forming.

Why it matters: If confirmed through subsequent research, the discovery could teach researchers about how other planets, including ones in our solar system, formed.

The big picture: Circumstellar disks surrounding young stars are considered to be prime candidates for planetary formation but until now, scientists had only detected a few planetary candidates located within these areas.

[lagomorph777]

1. Wow, cool!

Great image! I looked up how they made it.

The Very Large Telescope array (VLT) is the flagship facility for European ground-based astronomy at the beginning of the third Millennium. It is the world's most advanced optical instrument, consisting of four Unit Telescopes with main mirrors of 8.2m diameter and four movable 1.8m diameter Auxiliary Telescopes. The telescopes can work together, to form a giant ‘interferometer’.

http://www.eso.org/public/usa/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/