Scientists using the ALMA consortium, in collaboration with NASA, have directly observed the formation of a planetary system resembling our solar system's early stages. The system revolves around PDS 70, a young star approximately 400 light-years from Earth in the Centaurus constellation.
PDS 70 is surrounded by a disk of gas and dust where at least two giant planets are forming. An image from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) clearly shows a circumplanetary disk around PDS 70c, one of the two known planets.
This circumplanetary disk is a gas and dust structure that surrounds a forming planet. This structure is significant as it's where moons can form, similar to Jupiter and Saturn in our early solar system.
PDS 70c, a gas giant about twice the mass of Jupiter, orbits its star at a distance similar to Uranus's orbit around the Sun. Its circumplanetary disk contains enough material to form multiple natural satellites.
The existence of this disk confirms theoretical models about satellite formation. PDS 70b, the system's other planet, has been observed in previous studies but isn't visible in the latest image.
Both planets are carving a large cavity in the protoplanetary disk. This process occurs as the growing planets consume gas and dust to increase their mass.
"This system represents a natural laboratory for studying how giant planets and their moons form," explained Miriam Keppler, astronomer at the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy. This observation is also a key step in understanding how planetary systems are organized.
NASA has included PDS 70c in its exoplanet catalog due to its scientific importance. The circumplanetary disk supports theories about satellite formation and the early evolution of planets like Jupiter and Saturn.
The finding offers a snapshot of what the solar system might have looked like 4.5 billion years ago. Observing planetary formation directly allows scientists to test and refine existing models of planet and moon system formation.
Observing systems like PDS 70 is crucial for astronomers and astrobiologists in the search for habitable worlds. Understanding planetary system formation is essential for determining where Earth-like conditions might arise.