History In The Making: This Planet Is Currently Forming In Outer Space, And We Can See It

by N/A, 8 years ago | 2 min read

It's been four and a half billion years since this little place we call home was formed. What's crazy to think, is that in those four and half billion years, we've never seen anything like it happen with our own eyes. That's not to say it hasn't: planets form all the time, and we can find evidence of the occurrence, but nobody in the history of Earth has watched this spectacle unfold in real time.

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The planetary development is 450 light years away from us, but astronomers at the University of Arizona recently made the discovery when they noticed a peculiar dust cloud formation.

The cloud was unusual because it had a gaping hole in the center of it. Dust clouds are not uncommon to surround stars, but what these scientists have realized is that this hole in the center is a planet being formed.

Finding heat surrounding the center of the formation proves that a planet it about to be born. This is an artist illustration provided by the U of A depicting what is going on out there by LkCa15 near the Taurus constellation.

Peter Tuthill, co-author of a paper, explained in Nature exactly what's going on here:

"This is the first time we’ve imaged a planet that is definitely still in the process of forming,”

You can watch this short video provided by the University of Arizona showing all of the protoplanets imaged inside the star's disk gap, as well as the artist illustration of planetary motion right here:

The further development of telescope technology only shows that we're in for a lot more sighting of planets being created in outer space. Astronomy has come a long way in that regard, and maybe someday it will lead to us seeing who else may be out there living on these planets being formed.