The University of Arizona’s Magellan Adaptive Optics Xtreme (MagAO-X) instrument, combined with a six-and-a-half meter ground-based telescope, has successfully imaged protoplanets in sharp detail. The team captured images of the PDS 70 planetary system, revealing characteristics of planets in their early stages of development.
For the first time, astronomers observed these planets glowing H-alpha as they accrete (grow in mass) and consuming hydrogen at varying rates. They also detected rings of dust around the planets for the first time. According to Professor Laird Close, “We’re making the highest resolution images of outer space.”
The team’s technology features deformable mirrors that remove blurring and turbulence from the atmosphere, allowing for perfect images. By sensing aberrations in the atmosphere, they can adjust the optical prescription 2000 times a second.
The PDS 70 planetary system is 370 light-years from Earth and consists of two confirmed gas giant exoplanets, b and c. The team discovered that these planets are “acting like vacuum cleaners,” removing dust around the star as they orbit.
H-alpha emission confirms that these are growing baby planets. By targeting this wavelength with a narrow band filter, astronomers can isolate the planet’s signal compared to its surroundings.
The team also observed changes in the planets’ brightness, which is consistent with theory. One planet’s light has become fainter, while the other’s has brightened due to varying hydrogen consumption rates.
In addition to imaging the planets, the team detected rings of dust and material orbiting around them. They plan to commission a new observational mold using MagAO-X: a polarimeter that can detect polarized light better.
The current MagAO-X instrument allows for precise observations, but the next step is building a bigger telescope with improved resolution. The University of Arizona plans to complete the Giant Magellan Telescope and equip it with an extreme adaptive optics system, which could lead to discoveries about baby Earths and even life on other planets in reflected light.
Source: https://wildcat.arizona.edu/160649/news/ua-astronomers-capture-details-of-young-planets-using-an-advanced-adaptive-optics-instrument