A team of international astronomers, led by researchers at the University of Galway, has made a groundbreaking discovery of a new planet around a young star. The planet, named WISPIT 2b, is estimated to be about 5 million years old and most likely a gas giant similar in size to Jupiter.
The detection was made using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO’s VLT) in Chile and involves observing multiple young stars over short periods of time. The team found an unexpected and beautiful multi-ringed dust disk around one of the stars, which led them to investigate whether a planet could be present within it.
WISPIT 2b is the second confirmed planet discovered at this early evolutionary stage around a young star, with the first discovery made in 2018 by a research team also involving Dr. Christian Ginski. This new finding makes WISPIT 2b an ideal laboratory to study planet-disk interaction and subsequent evolution.
The planet was captured in near-infrared light, which shows it is still glowing and hot after its initial formation phase. The team at Leiden University and the University of Galway captured a clear image of the young proto-planet embedded in a disk gap, confirming that it orbits its host star.
This detection is part of a five-year observational research project to determine whether wide-orbit gas giant planets are more common around younger or older stars. The discovery of WISPIT 2b has provided valuable insights into planet formation and will likely be a benchmark for years to come.
The study was co-led by early-career researchers at Leiden University and the University of Galway, who were thrilled to contribute to this significant finding.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-08-astronomers-unexpected-discovery-planet-formation.html