First observation of the birth of a new planetary system

Astronomers say they have for the first time observed the moment planets began to form around a distant star, shedding light on the birth of the Solar System.

A new planetary system is forming around the infant star HOPS-315 - like our Sun when it was young, 1,300 light years from Earth - Image: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/M. McClure et al.

The study's lead author, Melissa McClure at Leiden University (Netherlands), said on July 16 that she and her colleagues have determined the earliest time when planet formation began around a star other than the Solar System.

Accordingly, a new planetary system is forming around the "baby star" HOPS-315 - like the "young" Sun - 1,300 light years from Earth in the Orion Nebula. Surrounding the young stars are giant rings of gas and dust called protoplanetary disks, where planets form.

Inside these swirling disks, crystalline minerals containing the chemical silicon monoxide could clump together. This process could form kilometer-sized protoplanets that could one day grow into full-fledged planets.

In the Solar System, crystalline minerals—which were the “starting material” for forming Earth and Jupiter’s core—are thought to have been trapped in ancient meteorites.

According to new research published in the journal Nature , astronomers have now detected signs that these hot minerals are beginning to solidify in the disk surrounding HOPS-315.

The minerals around the star were first detected by the James Webb Space Telescope. Astronomers then used the European Southern Observatory's ALMA telescope in Chile to pinpoint where the chemical signals were coming from. This paved the way for scientists to learn more about the formation of Earth.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/lan-dau-quan-sat-duoc-su-ra-doi-cua-he-hanh-tinh-moi-20250717132457475.htm