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2h ago

Astronomers Observe First Silicate Condensation Around Protostar HOPS-315

New JWST-ALMA observations confirm silicon monoxide gas crystallizing into silicate minerals in a region akin to our asteroid belt.

This is HOPS-315, a baby star where astronomers have observed evidence for the earliest stages of planet formation. The image was taken with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner. Together with data from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), these observations show that hot minerals are beginning to solidify. In orange we see the distribution of carbon monoxide, blowing away from the star in a butterfly-shaped wind. In blue we see a narrow jet of silicon monoxide, also beaming away from the star. These gaseous winds and jets are common around baby stars like HOPS-315. Together the ALMA and JWST observations indicate that, in addition to these features, there is also a disc of gaseous silicon monoxide around the star that is condensing into solid silicates –– the first stages of planetary formation. Credit: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. McClure et al.
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Overview

  • Researchers captured refractory mineral condensation around HOPS-315, a protostar 100,000 to 200,000 years old located roughly 1,300 light-years from Earth.
  • They observed silicon monoxide gas condensing into crystalline silicates—the primary components of Earth’s crust—in the protoplanetary disk.
  • The mineral condensation was pinpointed about 2.2 astronomical units from the star, a zone comparable to the Solar System’s asteroid belt.
  • The results, published in Nature, provide the first direct evidence of planet-building materials forming in real time and align observations with longstanding theoretical models.
  • This milestone opens the door to systematic surveys of young protostars and raises new questions about the frequency of Earth-like planet formation across the galaxy.