Astronomers recently captured stunning images of baby planets in a far-off star system. These planets, known as protoplanets, are still encircled by clouds of gas and dust, which may eventually form moons.
The protoplanets orbit a young star named PDS 70, located about 370 light-years away in the Centaurus constellation. PDS 70 is just 5 million years old, making it a baby in the cosmic timeline. By contrast, our solar system is about 4.6 billion years old.
Scientists believe our solar system might have looked like this distant one billions of years ago. This perspective gives us insight into our own origins. The advanced imaging was done by a team at the University of Arizona using the Magellan Adaptive Optics Xtreme (MagAO-X) instrument attached to the 6.5-meter Magellan Telescope in Chile.
For the first time, the team observed variations in the brightness of the protoplanets, suggesting they’re going through a chaotic and exciting growth phase. “We can see, for the first time, rings of dust surrounding protoplanets illuminated by starlight,” said Jialin Li, a doctoral student in astronomy. You can explore more about their findings in detail at [EurekAlert](https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1075772).
These two unique protoplanets, PDS 70 b and PDS 70 c, stand out among more than 5,000 confirmed exoplanets due to their rarity. Understanding these planets, along with their surrounding dust and gas, helps us learn how planets—and their moons—form in the universe.
Both PDS 70 b and PDS 70 c are already several times larger than Jupiter. Even though they are massive, their young age shows they are still in a phase of collecting material from the surrounding protoplanetary disk. “Multiple massive planets act like vacuum cleaners, clearing out dust and creating gaps in the gas and dust disk,” explained Laird Close, the lead researcher.
As gas, mainly hydrogen, cascades onto the protoplanets, they glow in a specific light called H-alpha, created from the heat of the gas striking their surfaces. The MagAO-X system shines in its ability to highlight these indicators, allowing astronomers to separate real planetary features from background noise.
Over three years, the brightness of PDS 70 b decreased while PDS 70 c brightened, indicating they are in different stages of gathering material. “One planet appears to have gone on a diet while the other was growing robustly,” Close noted, though it’s unclear what caused their changes in “appetite.”
The MagAO-X system is revolutionary. It corrects atmospheric distortions and can deliver images with clarity similar to what you’d expect from a telescope in space. Close likens its precision to being able to see if someone is holding a quarter from 125 miles away.
This remarkable work not only sheds light on distant planetary systems but paves the way for future discoveries. As technology improves, we will likely uncover more protoplanets around other young stars. The ongoing research was recently shared in the peer-reviewed journal, [The Astronomical Journal](https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-3881/ad8648/pdf).
These findings spark excitement in both the scientific community and space enthusiasts worldwide, reflecting a growing interest in our cosmic neighborhood and the diverse worlds that populate it.
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