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| Astronomers Detect Strange Space Vortices — Possibly a Baby Planet Being Born. |
Are we witnessing the birth of a new planet live? An international team of astronomers has just uncovered an extraordinary cosmic phenomenon that might be one of the first direct glimpses into how planets are formed.
A group of researchers led by scientists from the University of Florence in Italy detected spiral-shaped structures in space using the powerful Very Large Telescope (VLT) operated by the European Southern Observatory in Chile.
These spirals were seen within a gas-and-dust disk surrounding a young star — a strong sign that a new planet could be forming right before our eyes.
The project is led by Francesco Majo, a researcher at the University of Florence. His team used a cutting-edge instrument called ERIS, which successfully captured direct light from the suspected forming planet — something even earlier advanced tools like SPHERE couldn’t do.
The discovery was made around a star named HD 135344B (SAO 206462), located about 440 light-years from Earth in the Scorpius OB2‑3 star-forming region. This star is incredibly young in cosmic terms, estimated to be only about 10 million years old.
The observations were made over recent periods, but the discovery is now making headlines globally after the team spotted a bright signal at the base of one of the spiral arms — likely caused by a newly forming planet.
If confirmed, this could be one of the very first times astronomers have directly observed a planet during its birth. Researchers estimate the object to be about twice the size of Jupiter, orbiting its star at a distance similar to Neptune’s orbit — around 30 astronomical units.
What’s even more fascinating is that the object appears to be actively gathering surrounding material, carving out gaps in the disk and contributing to its own growth. This provides rare and visual evidence of how planets come to life.
While the discovery is exciting, the scientists emphasize that more time and observations are needed to confirm that this object is, in fact, a newborn planet. However, the ability to see its light directly gives astronomers more confidence than ever before.
“This could be a turning point,” said Francesco Majo. “For the first time, we’re not just seeing the effect of a planet’s presence — we may be seeing its actual light.”
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