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last mo.

Newborn Planet WISPIT 2b Imaged Inside Multi‑Ringed Disk Around Sun‑Like Star

Dual‑wavelength detections confirm active gas accretion, positioning the WISPIT 2 system as a prime target for studies of planet–disk interaction.

A dusty disk is seen around a young star. In the middle is a small dot of light (indicated by a white circle) that astronomers say is a newly-discovered newborn planet, likely a gas giant similar to Jupiter, but about 5 times more massive. These observations were taken with the ESO Very Large Telescope in near-infrared light
The European Southern Observatory shared this image of the week, which depicts a newborn planet eating its way through its dusty cradle as it orbits its host star. This image, taken with ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, is the first clear detection of a baby planet in a disc with multiple rings.
Image
Image

Overview

  • An international team used ESO's Very Large Telescope to capture a near‑infrared image of the planet, with a University of Arizona instrument confirming a visible‑light signal tied to accretion.
  • The discovery is published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, and ESO has released a public image of the system.
  • WISPIT 2b is a likely gas giant about 5 million years old located roughly 430 light years away in the direction of Aquila.
  • The planet orbits at about 56 astronomical units inside a pronounced gap of a protoplanetary disk that extends to roughly 380 astronomical units.
  • Researchers describe it as the first unambiguous planet found within a multi‑ringed disk, identified through a five‑year survey led by early‑career scientists.