'Newborn' planet is still glowing from the heat of its formation

Astronomers have discovered a planet that is just 3 million years old – a baby in planetary terms. Named IRAS 04125+2902 b, it is the youngest planet discovered using conventional detection methodologies.

The planet was spotted by a team of scientists led by Madyson G. Barber, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

To understand the location of the newborn planet, we must take a metaphorical journey 430 light-years away to the Taurus Molecular Cloud. This is an active stellar nursery housing hundreds of newborn stars, making it a prime target for astronomers.

According to the researchers, the young world is still glowing from to the heat of its formation, as it continues to evolve.

Young planets are usually hidden

The Taurus Molecular Cloud provides important information about the formation and evolution of young stars. However, when it comes to the planets in this stellar nursery, it’s like trying to read a closed book.

Instruments like the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS), which work on the transit method, depend on a clear line of sight to detect planets.

These telescopes watch for the dip in starlight when a planet crosses the face of its host star. But when there are obstructive debris disks, potentially transiting planets remain hidden.

Lucky discovery of a newborn planet

In a fortunate turn of events, the outer debris disk encircling the planet is warped, making the young world visible to TESS.

But why did this warp happen? The planet just may have moved closer to its star, causing it to diverge from the outer disk’s orientation.

From Earth, we see an edge-on planet’s orbit, while the outer disk appears face-on. But for this to happen, another (quite large) object would be needed in the system, and we haven’t detected one yet.

Stellar companion: Friend or foe?

The system’s sun has a distant stellar companion, which could be causing the warping. However, the orbit of this companion aligns with the planet and its parent star.

Normally, this alignment should push the disk closer to the system, not away from it. So, this doesn’t quite explain the warp.

Another possibility involves no companion star at all. Busy stellar nurseries like the Taurus Molecular Cloud can cause disk warping through “rains” of infalling material. Right now, it’s unclear whether such warped or broken disks are common occurrences or not.

Possibly a mini-Neptune or super-Earth

By coupling TESS’s transit measurements with the wobble method, the scientists learned more about the newborn planet. This method detects changes in starlight due to the gravitational tug of the planet on its star.

The planet’s mass is about a third of Jupiter’s, but it has a similar diameter. This implies a lower density and, likely, an enlarged atmosphere.

It could turn out to be a “mini-Neptune” or a rocky “super-Earth‘,” which are both common in the Milky Way even though they are not found in our solar system.

Implications for planetary formation

The observation of IRAS 04125+2902 b offers invaluable insights into our understanding of planetary formation and migration.

The unique circumstances surrounding this planet, particularly the potential disk warping and near-proximity transit observability, challenge existing theoretical models.

Traditional views suggest that planet migration occurs gradually, influenced by the dynamics of the protoplanetary disk. However, the observed warp indicates that external forces or rapid inward migration could play more substantial roles than previously assumed.

This discovery prompts astronomers to re-evaluate how planets can universally evolve within various environmental conditions, pushing forward our comprehension of complex planetary systems.

Future observations of the young planet

The unusual characteristics of IRAS 04125+2902 b make it a top candidate for further investigation. Future missions equipped with advanced telescopic technology could help elucidate the dynamics of its environment and uncover the nature of any potential nearby objects affecting the disk’s structure.

For instance, next-generation telescopes with higher resolution could capture more detailed images, offering a clearer understanding of the disk’s orientation and any perturbing influences.

Additionally, comparing IRAS 04125+2902 b with other young exoplanets in similar stellar nurseries could help experts determine whether such planet-disk interactions are extraordinary or prevalent in the cosmos.

Continued observation will be crucial in exploring these enigmatic circumstances and advancing our knowledge of early planetary evolution.

The research is published in the journal Nature.

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt, K. Miller (Caltech/IPAC)

—–

Like what you read? Subscribe to our newsletter for engaging articles, exclusive content, and the latest updates. 

Check us out on EarthSnap, a free app brought to you by Eric Ralls and Earth.com.

—–