Youngest Known Planet Ever Discovered in Our Galaxy

Topic: Space

Astronomers have found a planet less than 1 million years old that's still surrounded by gas and dust. The discovery helps scientists understand how planets form.

Astronomers have confirmed the youngest known planet ever, called Elias 2-24 b. It's a world less than 1 million years old that is still surrounded by the gas and dust from which it formed.

The planet was identified using observations preserved in NASA-funded archives. It's still orbiting within its young star's dusty disk, giving scientists a rare opportunity to study planet formation while it is still happening.

Lucas Cieza, a professor at the Instituto de Estudios Astrofísicos in Chile, said that their planet-formation models already struggled to explain the previous record holders for the youngest known planet. Elias 2-24 b shows us that even our best planet-formation models are still missing some important processes.

The discovery was made by researchers led by Andrea Bernardi, a doctoral candidate at the Universidad Diego Portales in Chile. They examined archived observations of seven young stars using the coronagraph at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. The coronagraph blocks much of a star's bright light, making it easier to search for much fainter objects nearby.

Elias 2-24 b is roughly as massive as Jupiter and orbits a star about 450 light-years from Earth. Because the system is so young, studying it gives astronomers a glimpse of what our own solar system may have looked like billions of years ago.

Why It Matters

This discovery helps scientists understand how planets form, which can help us learn more about our own solar system and its history.

Key Facts

• The youngest known planet ever discovered is called Elias 2-24 b and is less than 1 million years old.
• Elias 2-24 b is still surrounded by the gas and dust from which it formed.
• The discovery was made using observations preserved in NASA-funded archives.
• The planet orbits a star about 450 light-years from Earth.
• Studying Elias 2-24 b gives astronomers a glimpse of what our own solar system may have looked like billions of years ago.

Key Terms

Coronagraph

A device that blocks much of a star's bright light, making it easier to search for faint objects nearby.

Implications

This discovery helps scientists understand how planets form, which can help us learn more about our own solar system and its history.