NASA's space photo of the day: A young planet captured carving birth disk during formation

WISPIT 2b: Exoplanet Carves Gap in Birth Disk. (Image: NASA/ ESO/ Richelle van Capelleveen (Leiden Obs.) et al.)

A faint yellow spot in space has caught attention. Astronomers say it is a young planet outside our Solar System. The image was captured using the Very Large Telescope in Chile. Scientists believe this rare view is similar to how our Solar System was born 4.5 billion years ago.

What Does the Image Show?
At the centre lies a young star much like our Sun. The star itself is hidden behind a coronagraph to block its glare. Around it, a bright protoplanetary disk of gas and dust can be seen. This disk forms the raw material that gives rise to planets.

How Is the Planet Forming?
The disk shows gaps and concentric rings circling the star. These marks reveal where the young planet is shaping its orbit. The world is gathering gas and dust using its gravity. As it moves, it clears a path within the disc.

Astronomers have imaged planets in disks before. But this is the first time a planet has been caught carving a gap in real time. It offers the earliest direct glimpse of planetary sculpting in progress. The discovery helps explain how planets like Earth may have once formed.