NASA Spots Newborn Exoplanet Formed Just 5-10 Million Years Ago
- 8 years ago
Astronomers recently detected an exoplanet that is only between 5 and 10 million years old, which qualifies it as both a newborn and the youngest fully formed celestial orb found of its kind.
Scientists have discovered thousands of exoplanets throughout the universe, but only a few have been young enough to be considered infants.
That very small group gained another member, as researchers recently detected one that is only between 5 and 10 million years old – a newborn in planet years.
Further, the orb, which has been named K2-33b, has been declared as the youngest fully formed exoplanet ever found.
Erik Petigura, co-author of the study outlining the discovery, noted the newborn, “…will help us better understand how planets form, which is important for understanding the processes that led to the formation of Earth."
The celestial bundle of joy was located via the K2 mission of NASA's Kepler Space Telescope and Hawaii’s W. M. Keck Observatory.
Scientists have discovered thousands of exoplanets throughout the universe, but only a few have been young enough to be considered infants.
That very small group gained another member, as researchers recently detected one that is only between 5 and 10 million years old – a newborn in planet years.
Further, the orb, which has been named K2-33b, has been declared as the youngest fully formed exoplanet ever found.
Erik Petigura, co-author of the study outlining the discovery, noted the newborn, “…will help us better understand how planets form, which is important for understanding the processes that led to the formation of Earth."
The celestial bundle of joy was located via the K2 mission of NASA's Kepler Space Telescope and Hawaii’s W. M. Keck Observatory.