NASA's latest discovery has sent shockwaves through the scientific community: it has photographed a 'baby' planet, dubbed WISPIT 2b, embedded in a ring-shaped gap around its star. This is the first time such a detection has been made.
The team of researchers, led by University of Arizona astronomer Laird Close and Richelle van Capelleveen, used advanced telescopes to capture images of the system. They employed MagAO-X, an extreme adaptive optics instrument, which allows for high-contrast imaging of distant objects. The resulting image revealed a small purple dot – WISPIT 2b – orbiting around its star.
The discovery is significant because it provides direct evidence of a planet forming in a ring-shaped gap around a young star. Protoplanetary disks are the birthplaces of new planets, and these gaps can form when gas and dust are pushed outwards by the gravitational pull of an emerging planet. However, there was never any conclusive proof that such a process occurred until now.
One intriguing aspect of this discovery is that WISPIT 2b appears to have formed in its current location, rather than migrating from another region of the disk. This challenges our understanding of how planets form and evolve around young stars.
The team used MagAO-X to study the system in H-alpha light, a type of visible light emitted when hydrogen gas falls onto young planets. By analyzing this signal, they were able to spot WISPIT 2b clearly within the dark ring gap.
Another notable discovery was the detection of a second candidate planet, identified as another dot within one of the other dark ring gaps. This finding has sparked excitement among researchers and promises further investigation into the system.
WISPIT 2b is estimated to be about 5 million years old and massive, with a size comparable to that of Jupiter. Its young age and location in a protoplanetary disk gap make it an interesting subject for study, offering insights into the processes governing planet formation around young stars.
The discovery was published on August 26, 2025, in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, and marks a significant milestone in our understanding of planetary formation and evolution.
The team of researchers, led by University of Arizona astronomer Laird Close and Richelle van Capelleveen, used advanced telescopes to capture images of the system. They employed MagAO-X, an extreme adaptive optics instrument, which allows for high-contrast imaging of distant objects. The resulting image revealed a small purple dot – WISPIT 2b – orbiting around its star.
The discovery is significant because it provides direct evidence of a planet forming in a ring-shaped gap around a young star. Protoplanetary disks are the birthplaces of new planets, and these gaps can form when gas and dust are pushed outwards by the gravitational pull of an emerging planet. However, there was never any conclusive proof that such a process occurred until now.
One intriguing aspect of this discovery is that WISPIT 2b appears to have formed in its current location, rather than migrating from another region of the disk. This challenges our understanding of how planets form and evolve around young stars.
The team used MagAO-X to study the system in H-alpha light, a type of visible light emitted when hydrogen gas falls onto young planets. By analyzing this signal, they were able to spot WISPIT 2b clearly within the dark ring gap.
Another notable discovery was the detection of a second candidate planet, identified as another dot within one of the other dark ring gaps. This finding has sparked excitement among researchers and promises further investigation into the system.
WISPIT 2b is estimated to be about 5 million years old and massive, with a size comparable to that of Jupiter. Its young age and location in a protoplanetary disk gap make it an interesting subject for study, offering insights into the processes governing planet formation around young stars.
The discovery was published on August 26, 2025, in the Astrophysical Journal Letters, and marks a significant milestone in our understanding of planetary formation and evolution.
I mean, can you believe it?! Scientists finally caught a glimpse of a baby planet forming around a star 
! It's like a cosmic game of gravitational tag - the gas and dust are getting tossed around by the young planet's gravity, creating those dark ring gaps 
️. And now we get to study WISPIT 2b in all its purple glory 
! The fact that it formed right where it is, not migrating from somewhere else like we thought... that's mind-blowing 
. Can't wait for more discoveries and insights into how planets come to be 
!
I'm kinda fascinated by this WISPIT 2b thingy... like how it just appeared outta thin air in this dark ring gap around its star 
I mean, we've always known that planets can form in gaps like that but to actually see one in action is pretty wild 
Can't wait to read more about this 
. I mean, we already knew some stuff about planet formation, but this new info is like a superpower 
. The fact that WISPIT 2b looks like it formed in its current spot, instead of moving from somewhere else, is mind-blowing 
#WISPIT2b #PlanetFormation #AstroScience
WISPIT 2b's discovery is mind-blowing, proving that ring-shaped gaps can form when gas & dust get pushed out by emerging planets 
Still so much to learn, but this is a major step forward for our understanding of planetary formation 
another one... scientists just found out that WISPIT 2b is only 5 million years old 
like many other young planets that failed to become full-fledged worlds... meanwhile, Earth is still burning and humans are struggling to adapt to climate change 
...can't help but wonder what our own planet has in store for us 
it's like something out of sci-fi! the fact that it's so young (5 million yrs old) and massive (like jupiter size) is already giving me LIFE 
and now they've found another candidate planet too 
i mean, the fact that wispit 2b is literally sitting in a gap made by an emerging planet is just mind-blowing 
It's like, literally forming around its star and it's SO CUTE!!! 
Can you believe this?! They've actually photographed a 'baby' planet! WISPIT 2b is like something out of a sci-fi movie 
. The fact that there's another candidate planet in the same system? That's just getting better and better! More research is definitely needed, but I'm excited to see what other secrets WISPIT 2b has to share 
.
. I'm seriously hyped to see what other secrets this universe has in store for us. Can't wait to dive deeper into this research 
. The fact that this little guy has formed in its current location and not migrated from somewhere else is crazy... it challenges everything we thought we knew about planet formation! 
Now we have a whole new perspective on how planets are born and evolve around young stars. This discovery is like a major plot twist in our understanding of the universe 
