Astronomers spot first steps of planet formation around baby sun

In a major breakthrough, astronomers have observed the earliest signs of rocky planet formation around a young, sun-like star — offering a rare glimpse into the origins of planetary systems like our own.

Described as a “snapshot of time zero,” the findings capture the moment new worlds start taking shape, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature.

"We've captured a direct glimpse of the hot region where rocky planets like Earth are born around young protostars," said Melissa McClure of Leiden Observatory in the Netherlands, who led the global research team. "For the first time, we can conclusively say the first steps of planet formation are happening right now."

These observations provide unprecedented insight into the early processes of planetary development, noted University of Chicago’s Fred Ciesla, who was not involved in the research. "This is one of the things we've been waiting for. Astronomers have been thinking about how planetary systems form for a long period of time," he said.

Utilizing the combined power of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and the European Southern Observatory’s ALMA facility in Chile, scientists focused on HOPS-315, a young protostar located about 1,370 light-years away. Though similar in type to our sun, HOPS-315 is far younger — only 100,000 to 200,000 years old.

Thanks to a visible gap in the outer portion of the star's gas disk, McClure’s team was able to peer into its inner regions and detect solid material forming — a cosmic first. The team spotted silicon monoxide gas and crystalline silicate minerals, both believed to be among the first solid substances formed in our solar system over 4.5 billion years ago.

The site of this activity mirrors the location of our solar system’s asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter — a zone that still holds remnants of the original planet-forming material.

"The condensing of hot minerals was never detected before around other young stars, so we didn't know if it was a universal feature of planet formation or a weird feature of our solar system," McClure explained. "Our study shows that it could be a common process during the earliest stage of planet formation."

An image captured by ESO's ALMA telescope reveals the glowing, emerging system as a bright spot amid the darkness of space — likened to a lightning bug against the void.

While it's still unclear how many planets will eventually form around HOPS-315, the mass of its gas disk suggests the potential for a system as complex as ours. “It could also wind up with eight planets a million or more years from now,” McClure added.

This discovery marks a significant step forward in understanding how planetary systems — including our own — come into being.

[With inputs from AP]