Astronomers discovered the first signs of rocky planet formation around a young star, Hops-315, located 1,370 light-years away. This early formation process, observed using NASA's Webb Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory, provides insights into the birth of our solar system. Solid specks condensing in the gas disk suggest that silicon monoxide gas and crystalline silicate minerals are among the first materials to form, resembling conditions similar to those in our asteroid belt. The star is estimated to be between 100,000 and 200,000 years old.
Astronomers have discovered the earliest seeds of rocky planets forming in the gas around a baby sun-like star, providing a precious peek into the dawn of our own solar system.
We've captured a direct glimpse of the hot region where rocky planets like Earth are born around young protostars, with the first steps of planet formation happening right now.
Nasa's Webb Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory in Chile teamed up to reveal these early nuggets of planetary formation around the young star known as Hops-315.
A gap in the outer part of the disk allowed them to gaze inside, detecting silicon monoxide gas and crystalline silicate minerals, believed to be the first solid materials to form.
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