Gallery | exoplanet images | Planet caught in the act of formation
The planet LkCa 15b is probably only about 2 million years old, and is still forming from a disk of material surrounding its star. On the left is a far-infrared image of the disk, and on the right is a near-infrared picture showing the planet (blue) and material swirling around it (red).
The planet is roughly six times the mass of Jupiter, and is glowing in the IR with the heat of its formation, still brewing at 500 - 1000 Kelvins. It orbits its star at distance of about 2.5 billion kilometers, inside the central gap in the larger disk, which is probably due to the planet having swept up material.
Original blog post: The first direct image of a baby planet being born! (maybe!)(but probably!)
Artwork credit: Kraus and Ireland
The planet is roughly six times the mass of Jupiter, and is glowing in the IR with the heat of its formation, still brewing at 500 - 1000 Kelvins. It orbits its star at distance of about 2.5 billion kilometers, inside the central gap in the larger disk, which is probably due to the planet having swept up material.
Original blog post: The first direct image of a baby planet being born! (maybe!)(but probably!)
Artwork credit: Kraus and Ireland
