The youngest and most directly observable planet ever observed

An international astronomy team centered on the University of Hawaii at Manoa has discovered 2M0437b, one of the youngest planets ever discovered. The greatest feature of this planet is that it can be directly observed. It is believed to have been formed only a few million years ago.

The planet is several times more massive than Jupiter, and the energy released when it formed still produces a surface temperature similar to that of lava from a hot volcano. Scholars expect to be able to see the early conditions of the solar system and Earth by being able to directly observe the young planet.

According to the research team, the number of directly observable planets has increased thanks to the accidental discovery, and analysis of the planet’s light can reveal where and how this star was formed from the disk of gas and dust that surrounded the mother star in the planet’s composition.

The team discovered the planet in 2018. For the next three years, the planet was tracked through an astronomical observatory, and the relationship with the main star orbiting it was confirmed. The distance between the main star and 2M0437b is about 100 times greater than the distance between the Sun and Earth, and it can be observed in the absence of interference from the main star. Therefore, in the future, our understanding of the planetary formation process may be deepened.

It is expected that the James Webb Space Telescope will soon be used to identify gases in the planet’s atmosphere and to reveal whether it has satellites or accretion disks capable of forming satellites in the future. Related information can be found here.