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23h ago

Astronomers Capture First Glimpse of Planets’ Birth Around a Sun-Like Star

Nature study reports direct evidence of silicon monoxide gas condensing into crystalline minerals at asteroid-belt distances in the protoplanetary disk of HOPS-315

Credit: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. McClure et al.
Image
An artist’s impression of dust and tiny grains in a protoplanetary disc surrounding a young star. NASA/JPL-Caltech

Overview

  • The July 16 Nature paper led by Melissa McClure and Merel van ’t Hoff identifies the condensation of refractory solids marking the onset of planet formation.
  • Combined observations from JWST’s infrared spectroscopy and ALMA’s millimeter-wave imaging detected SiO in both gaseous form and as newly formed crystalline silicates.
  • The condensation signals originate around 2.2 AU from HOPS-315, a region analogous to the Solar System’s asteroid belt.
  • HOPS-315 is a 100,000- to 200,000-year-old protostar in the Orion L1630 molecular cloud that mirrors the Sun’s earliest evolutionary stage.
  • Researchers will continue monitoring HOPS-315 and survey other young protostars to trace the earliest phases of planetary evolution.