The new planets are 430 million light-years from Earth.
By Raif Karerat
For the first time ever, scientists have gained the ability to witness planets being born.
The two — or possibly three — protoplanets are in orbit around a young Sun-like star that is about 430 light-years from Earth, according to the Los Angeles Times.
“We are unambiguously witnessing planet formation,” a team of astronomers and astrophysicists wrote in a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.
Using the Large Binocular Telescope in southeastern Arizona and a technique called non-redundant masking, or NRM, a team led by Stephanie Sallum, a graduate student at the University of Arizona, identified two bodies — dubbed LkCa 15b and LkCa 15c — that moved in stable orbits around the star LkCa 15.
Judging from their motion around their star, the scientists calculated that the two objects are no more than 5 to 10 times bigger than Jupiter.
As they keep watching, the scientists hope to learn more about whether planets form in a steady process or experience growth spurts, reported the L.A. Times.
In an essay that accompanies the study, Princeton astrophysicist Zhauhuan Zhu wrote that the observing techniques Sallum’s team used should make it possible for scientists to find young planets that were previously undetectable because they were too far away or masked by too much debris.
“This discovery has far-reaching implications for our understanding of the planet-formation process and of the properties of young planets,” he stated.