Overview
- The paper led by Andrea Bernardi of Universidad Diego Portales, published Friday in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, confirms Elias 2-24 b as an embedded, still-forming planet.
- Archival ALMA and VLT data identified a disk gap and a faint source, and re-analysis of Keck II/NIRC2 vortex-coronagraph images from 2018 and 2020 showed the point of light moving with the star, ruling out a background object.
- Elias 2-24 b lies about 55 astronomical units from its host star at roughly 450 light-years and has a mass estimated between about 1.9 and 4 times Jupiter’s mass.
- The object is under one million years old and remains embedded in gas and dust and accreting material, providing a rare direct view of giant-planet assembly.
- Because current models struggle to produce such a massive planet so quickly at large separations, the find promotes reappraisal of formation mechanisms and highlights the value of coronagraphy and archival data for future searches with more sensitive instruments.