Astronomers have captured a breathtaking glimpse of a solar system still in the making, located about 400 light-years away from Earth. Using the powerful Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, scientists have imaged the PDS 70 system, a young star surrounded by a swirling disc of gas and dust where planets are being born.
This rare snapshot not only shows us how planets grow, but also gives us clues about how our own solar system may have formed billions of years ago.
A Star With a Planet-Building Disc
At the heart of PDS 70 lies a star that is just a few million years old practically a newborn compared to our Sun’s 4.6 billion years. Surrounding it is a wide circumstellar disc, made up of dust, ice, and gas. This disc is the raw material from which planets emerge.
The fascinating part is that scientists can actually see gaps within the disc. These gaps are carved by forming planets, which are pulling in material as they grow. The process is very similar to how Jupiter and Saturn shaped the early solar system, leaving behind patterns and structures in the primordial dust cloud.
Two Growing Gas Giants
So far, astronomers have identified two giant planets in the PDS 70 system: PDS 70b and PDS 70c. Both are massive, gas-rich worlds that resemble scaled-up versions of Jupiter.
What makes this discovery extraordinary is that we are not just seeing the planets themselves, but also how they interact with the disc around them. They act like cosmic sculptors, reshaping their environment as they continue to grow.
A Planet With Its Own Mini Disc
Even more exciting is what scientists found around PDS 70c. This planet has its own circumplanetary disc a smaller disc of gas and dust orbiting the planet itself.
Why does this matter? Because such a disc is not only helping the planet grow, but could also be the birthplace of moons. Our own Jupiter is surrounded by dozens of moons, including the four large Galilean moons. Many researchers believe they formed in a similar way, inside Jupiter’s ancient circumplanetary disc.
This makes PDS 70c the first confirmed case where astronomers can directly observe the conditions that may lead to moon formation beyond our solar system.
Why This Discovery Matters
Studying PDS 70 is like opening a time machine to the past. By watching this system evolve, astronomers can piece together the story of how our own planets from Mercury to Neptune might have formed.
It also confirms long-held theories about planet formation: that young gas giants clear gaps in their discs, that circumplanetary discs help them grow, and that moons may form within these smaller discs.
In short, PDS 70 is giving us front-row seats to the birth of a solar system, offering a rare chance to see the cosmic processes that shaped our own home in the universe.
Looking Ahead
As telescopes become more advanced especially with the James Webb Space Telescope now joining the search astronomers will be able to study PDS 70 and other young systems in even greater detail.
Every new image brings us one step closer to understanding not just how planets form, but also how common systems like ours may be throughout the galaxy.
The next time you look up at the night sky, remember that somewhere, light-years away, a new solar system is coming to life before our very eyes.
Source: European Southern Observatory (ESO) / ALMA Observatory