Astronomers capture exomoon formation around infant planets

Astronomers have captured remarkable images of young planets, known as "protoplanets," located 370 light-years away. These protoplanets orbit the star PDS 70, which is only about 5 million years old. This means it is still very young in the life of a star. The images show disks of gas and dust where moons may be forming around these planets. The two observed protoplanets, PDS 70 b and PDS 70 c, are significant because they are among the few confirmed protoplanets in our galaxy. A team from the University of Arizona used advanced equipment called Magellan Adaptive Optics Xtreme (MagAO-X) at the Las Campanas Observatory in Chile to take these detailed images. They noticed changes in the brightness of the protoplanets, suggesting they are growing by collecting material from surrounding dust and gas. PDS 70 b and c are already several times larger than Jupiter. However, their young age means they are still accumulating matter from a surrounding disk made mostly of hydrogen gas. The researchers found that one of the planets experienced a significant decrease in brightness while the other brightened. This indicates a change in the amount of material each planet is absorbing. The imaging technology used by the team allows for extremely clear pictures by correcting for atmospheric disturbances. This innovation enables astronomers to observe details typically only visible from space. The team aims to use this technology to search for more protoplanets around other young stars in the future. Their findings provide valuable insights into how planets grow and develop moons in star systems beyond our own. The research was published in The Astronomical Journal.