Astronomers Witness the Beginnings of a Star System For the First Time
A prominent spiral structure around a young star — the telltale signs of the formation of a planet — has been spotted by astronomers for the first time.
Using the ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) astronomers have observed a stunning spiral structure around AB Aurigae — a young star located 520 light-years from Earth — the signature of the beginning stages of the formation of a planet, and in turn, a star system. The young star sits in a cloud of dust and gas in which astronomers spotted a twisting structure, which they believe marks the site of a new planet forming.
The discovery, detailed in a paper published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, marks a first in exoplanet observation. “Thousands of exoplanets have been identified so far, but little is known about how they form,” says Anthony Boccaletti who led the study from the Observatoire de Paris, PSL University. “We need to observe very young systems to really capture the moment when planets form.”
