Newfound 'baby' planet smashes record for youngest known world
Astronomers have identified Elias 2-24 b, a planet less than a million years old, as the youngest exoplanet ever discovered. The finding challenges current planet-formation models, as the planet is still actively accreting material within its natal disk of gas and dust.
Why it matters
This discovery provides critical data for refining theories on how giant planets form and evolve in the early stages of a star system's life.
edited by Gaby Clark , reviewed by Robert Egan
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Add as preferred source Artist's concept depicting Elias 2-24 b, the youngest exoplanet detected to date, still growing within the disk of gas and dust surrounding its young host star. Material from the disk is actively accreting onto the Jupiter-mass planet, which sits within a prominent gap in the disk, supporting the leading theory of giant planet formation. Credit: W. M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko Astronomers have confirmed a world less than a million years old as the youngest known planet, using data from archives. Called Elias 2-24 b, the baby planet is still whirling in its natal disk of dust and gas.
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