A team of Australian and US scientists has captured extraordinary images of new planet formation. This is when gas and dust particles combine to form a new world. These images were captured for the very first time. Their amazing achievement was published in Nature by the University of Sydney’s astronomers as well as the University of Arizona’s astrophysicists. Nearly 1 ,900 exoplanets that have been discovered are currently in formation. The authors claim that their images are the first observation of exoplanets being created and growing. Exoplanets are planets that orbit a star outside of our Solar System. LkCa 15 is a composite image that shows both the MagAO data in blue and Large Binocular Telescope Data in red. Image: University of Arizona. Distant star giving birth. A distant star 450 was observed to be showing all signs of pregnancy. The disc is filled with dust and gas, creating the perfect environment for planet growth. They found distinct indications of disturbance in the dust, indicating that something had taken away a portion of the disc. The images were co-authored by Professor Peter Tuthill (ARC Future Fellow at the School of Physics, director of the Sydney Institute for Astronomy, University of Sydney), Australia. He said that the images provide compelling evidence. Professor Tuthill stated that this is the first image of a planet still in formation. This photo proved it: “The difficulty was that even if you have direct evidence there is always an alternative explanation that may fit the data.” Scientists today can image distant objects much brighter than nearby stars using specialized instruments. The University of Arizona’s Magellan Telescope (with its Adaptive Optics System) and MagAO are located in Chile. On Mount Graham in Arizona, the Large Binocular Telescope is the largest telescope on the planet. Illustration of the formation of planets by an artist. Author’s explanation: Atmospheric Turbulence makes distant objects difficult to photograph. Laird Close is a professor at the University of Arizona’s Department of Astronomy and Steward Observatory. He explained that when you view the Earth’s atmosphere you see cold and hot, which makes the stars sparkle. It’s quite dramatic to a large telescope. You see an awful looking image. This breakthrough was made possible by the Large Binocular Telescope, which was built with a new imaging technique that sharpens the images.” Dr. Kate Follette used MagAO (Magellan’s adaptive optics system) to verify the findings. They used the unique capability of the MagAO to capture the exoplanet’s “hydrogen alpha” spectral fingerprint. This is the light wavelength that LkCa 15 emits in order to detect the planets and their moons. As cosmic bodies form, they get extremely hot and glow deep red because hydrogen is used to make them. This wavelength of light, H-alpha by scientists, can be described as a special wavelength. Dr. Follette said that the single hue of red was due to the identical growth process. Dr. Follette explained that the planet and the star emit a single shade of red light. This was due to their similar growth process. Professor Tuthill stated: “It is fantastic to see these cutting edge instruments now enabling us make such exciting discoveries.” Citation. “Accreting protoplanets within the LkCa transition disc,” S. Sallum and K. B. Follette. A. Eisner, L. M. Close, P. Hinz, K. Kratter, J. Males, A. Skemer, B. Macintosh, P. Tuthill, V. Bailey, D. Defrere, K. Morzinski, T. Rodigas, E. Spalding, A. Vaz & A. J. Weinberger. Nature. 18 November, 2015. DOI: 10.1038/nature15761. Video: New Planet Formation
Scientists capture spectacular images of new planet formation
