Overview

• The protoplanet’s mass is estimated between three and ten times that of Jupiter.
• It orbits MP Mus at a distance equivalent to one to three times the Earth-Sun separation.
• ALMA Band 7 imaging uncovered a central cavity, two outer gaps and a ring roughly 50 astronomical units from the star.
• This marks one of only four confirmed detections of planets forming within dusty protoplanetary disks.
• Researchers say combining Gaia’s astrometric data with ALMA’s millimeter-wave observations offers a powerful method for uncovering other nascent worlds.