Scientists confirm the discovery of a planet in the event of its formation | space

It is not easy to find a planet in a state of formation (a protoplanet). Prior to 2023, only two had been confirmed – the “brothers” PDS 70 b and c. Now, researchers from the University of Liège in Belgium and Monash University in Australia celebrate another discovery.

Named HD 169142 b, this protoplanet is located in the star system HD 169142 – which is 374 light-years from the Solar System.

Confirmation came from analysis of images taken between 2015 and 2019 by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). Located in Chile, the instrument is state-of-the-art and contains four telescopes (with 8.2-meter main mirrors) and four mobile auxiliary telescopes (with 1.8-meter mirrors).

The instrument responsible for HD 169142 b’s images is called SPHERE. It is a highly adaptable optical system developed for exoplanet research.

In 2019, another team of scientists hypothesized the existence of this protoplanet. The new study provided confirmation, by re-analyzing the data and including new records, of better quality. This was possible thanks to advanced image processing tools developed by the University of Liège.

The researchers concluded that it is a planet in the process of formation through its infrared thermal signature. In the released images, it is possible to see HD 169142 b orbiting its star, as well as the trail it left – described as a “shiny spiral arm”.

Confirmation logged in Journal of the Royal Astronomical SocietyAssociated with the University of Oxford.