Astronomers at the University of North Carolina have discovered a relatively young planet, which they claim is still in its infancy. In a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, astronomers report the discovery of the youngest transiting planet ever discovered, estimated to be only three million years old.
Astronomers hope that by studying the planet TIDYE-1b (also known as IRAS 04125+2902 b), they can understand a lot about the early phases. Planet formation. Madison Barber, lead author of the paper, said the discovery of such planets could help scientists go back in time to glimpse the planet’s shape.
TIDYE-1b was detected by NASA’s TESS telescope using the transit method, where a planet passes between its star and the observer causing a temporary dimming of the star’s brightness. Astronomers noticed this dip during their observations and eventually found out about the planet. The technique, which is widely used to discover exoplanets, has previously helped astronomers identify more than a dozen young planets between 10 and 40 million years old. However, TIDYE-1b stands out as the youngest planet ever observed.
Representative image
Young planets are often hidden within the gas and dust of a “protoplanetary disk,” a ring-like debris field around a star, from which new planets slowly form. Such a disk, typically, takes more than 5 million years to disperse in a young star system. TIDYE-1b was observable despite its young age because its orbit around the star is tilted at a different angle from the central one. Protoplanetary disk. This rare opportunity allowed astronomers to observe the planet, which would otherwise have been hidden.
A mystery remains about how long planets take to form, UNC Chapel Hill astronomer Andrew Mann, a co-author of the study, told Reuters. He explained that massive planets must form early before their protoplanetary disk disintegrates, because they require a large amount of gas from the disk. However, the exact timeline for planet formation is unknown.
Representative image
TIDYE-1b orbits very close to its star, about once every nine days. The researchers suggest that this represents an early stage example of ‘Super Earth‘ or ‘sub-Neptune’, a type of planet that is missing from our solar system but commonly seen in the Milky Way. It is about 11 times the diameter of our planet but not as dense as Earth.