Baby planet seen for the first time
Astronomers led by a team at Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Astronomy have captured an image of a newborn planet for the first time.
Named PDS 70b, the baby planet orbits a dwarf star around 370 light years away from Earth. A dwarf star is a star that is smaller and dimmer than other stars.
The surface of PDS 70b is thought to be a scorching 1,000ºC, and astronomers estimate that it is between five and six million years old. Although that may not sound young, this planet is a baby. By comparison, Earth is a fully fledged adult at almost 4.6 billion years old.
Most scientists agree that planets are made from clouds of dust and gas left over when a star is born. Astronomer Miriam Keppler says this incredible image of a planet in its early years will help scientists understand more about how planets form.