All astronomers concur that planets are formed in protoplanetary discs, which are bands of gas and dust that surround newly formed, young stars.
A new method has been developed by astronomers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian to locate these elusive young planets.
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Evidence of a tiny planet, similar to Neptune or Saturn, concealed within a disc has been discovered.
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Many formations have emerged on discs, which, according to Feng Long, a researcher at the Center for Astrophysics, are caused by the presence of a planet.
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For her research, Long decided to revisit the LkCa 15 protoplanetary disc. The disc is located 518 light years away in the Taurus constellation.
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Long examined recent, high-resolution ALMA data, primarily from 2019, on LkCa 15, and discovered two faint characteristics that weren't there before.
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At a distance of around 42 astronomical units from the star, Long discovered a dusty ring with 2 different, brilliant clusters of material revolving within it.
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The analysis indicates that the new planet is around the size of Neptune or Saturn, and is between one and three million years old.