In this impressive image, the young star V960 Mon takes center stage, nestled over 5000 light-years away in the Monoceros constellation. Surrounding the star is a veil of dusty matter with planet-forming potential. Credit: ESO/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/Weber et al.
An astounding image recently unveiled by the European Southern Observatory (ESO) provides tantalizing insights into the formation process of massive planets akin to Jupiter. Through the combined capabilities of the ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), researchers discovered large clumps of dust in proximity to a young star, suggestive of potential future giant planet genesis.
“We’re enthralled by this discovery, marking the inaugural detection of clumps near a young star with potential to culminate in the creation of giant planets,” comments Alice Zurlo, a researcher at the Universidad Diego Portales, Chile, who contributed to the observations.
The study centers around a captivating image acquired using the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE) instrument on the ESO’s VLT. This image showcases a detailed view of the material encircling the star V960 Mon. This young star, which lies over 5000 light-years away in the Monoceros constellation, captured astronomers’ curiosity when its brightness surged over twenty-fold in 2014. SPHERE observations, following this sudden brightness surge, unveiled the material around V960 Mon congregating into elaborate spiral arms stretching distances larger than the entire Solar System.
An image on the left in yellow showcases the young star V960 Mon and its encircling dusty matter, captured with the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s VLT. Light reflected off the orbiting dusty matter becomes polarised — oscillating in a specific direction rather than randomly — and SPHERE detects this, revealing fascinating spiral arms. These revelations propelled astronomers to scrutinize past observations of the same system made using ALMA, the results of which are visible on the right in blue. The wavelengths at which ALMA observes enable it to penetrate deeper into the orbiting material, showing that the spiral arms are fragmenting and forming clumps with planetary masses. These clumps could potentially contract and collapse due to a process known as “gravitational instability” to form giant planets. Credit: ESO/ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/Weber et al.
Encouraged by these findings, astronomers revisited archival observations of the same system captured with ALMA, a partner of ESO. The VLT observations explore the surface of the dust surrounding the star, while ALMA delves deeper into its structure. “Thanks to ALMA, we realized the spiral arms are fragmenting, leading to clumps formation with planetary-like masses,” Zurlo elaborates.
Astronomers theorize that giant planets evolve either via ‘core accretion’, involving dust grain aggregation, or through ‘gravitational instability’, where large chunks of material around a star contract and collapse. Although prior evidence supported the former scenario, the latter remained elusive until now.
This video guides us on a voyage to the V960 Mon star, some 5000 light-years away from Earth.
Philipp Weber, a researcher at the University of Santiago, Chile, who spearheaded the study published on July 25 in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, states, “This marks the first actual observation of gravitational instability occurring at planetary scales.”
After a decade-long quest for signs of planet formation, the research group, which includes team member Sebastián Pérez from the University of Santiago, Chile, is ecstatic about this groundbreaking discovery.
This image portrays the sky surrounding the V960 Mon star’s location, composed from images in the Digitized Sky Survey 2. Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2, Acknowledgment: Davide De Martin
Future ESO instruments promise to reveal further details of this mesmerizing planetary system under construction, with the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) playing a pivotal role. Currently under construction in the Atacama Desert of Chile, the ELT will provide unparalleled observations of the system, collecting vital information. “The ELT will facilitate investigations into the chemical complexity around these clumps, helping us delve deeper into the material composition from which potential planets might arise,” Weber concludes.
This map illustrates the location of the star V960 Mon within the Monoceros (one-horned) constellation. The map displays most of the stars visible to the naked eye under favorable conditions. Credit: ESO, IAU, and Sky & Telescope
Reference: “Spirals and Clumps in V960 Mon: Signs of Planet Formation via Gravitational Instability around an FU Ori Star?” by Philipp Weber, Sebastián Pérez, Alice Zurlo, James Miley, Antonio Hales, Lucas Cieza, David Principe, Miguel Cárcamo, Antonio Garufi, Ágnes Kóspál, Michihiro Takami, Joel Kastner, Zhaohuan Zhu, and Jonathan Williams, 25 July 2023, The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ace186
The research team consists of emerging researchers from various Chilean universities and institutes under the auspices of the Millennium Nucleus on Young Exoplanets and their Moons (YEMS) research center, sponsored by the Chilean National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) and its Millennium Science Initiative Program. The utilized facilities, ALMA and VLT, are situated in Chile’s Atacama Desert.
Aerial views of the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) and the Chajnantor plateau in the Chilean Andes, captured in November 2022.
The team comprises P. Weber (Departamento de Física, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile [USACH]; Millennium Nucleus on Young Exoplanets and their Moons, Chile [YEMS]; Center for Interdisciplinary Research in Astrophysics and Space Exploration, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile [CIRAS]), S. Pérez (USACH; YEMS; CIRAS), A. Zurlo (YEMS; Núcleo de Astronomía, Universidad Diego Portales Chile [UDP]; Escuela de Ingeniería Industrial, Universidad Diego Portales, Chile), J. Miley (Joint ALMA Observatory, Chile; National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, Japan), A. Hales (National Radio Astronomy Observatory, USA), L. Cieza (YEMS; UDP), D. Principe (MIT Kavli Institute for Astrophysics and Space Research, USA), M. Cárcamo (YEMS; CIRAS; USACH, Faculty of Engineering, Computer Engineering Department, Chile), A. Garufi (INAF, Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Italy), Á. Kóspál (Konkoly Observatory, Research Centre for Astronomy and Earth Sciences, Eötvös Loránd Research Network (ELKH), Hungary; CSFK, MTA Centre of Excellence, Hungary; ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Institute of Physics, Hungary; Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, Germany), M. Takami (
Table of Contents
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) about Planet Formation
What star is at the center of the image and how far is it located from us?
The young star V960 Mon is at the center of the image. It’s located over 5000 light-years away in the constellation Monoceros.
What potential discovery does the image provide?
The image provides a clue on how planets as massive as Jupiter could form. It features dusty clumps close to the young star that could collapse to form giant planets.
Who was involved in making this observation?
This observation was made by researchers from the European Southern Observatory (ESO) and the Universidad Diego Portales, Chile, using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA).
What unique activity was observed in the star V960 Mon?
V960 Mon suddenly increased its brightness more than twenty times in 2014. This led to the observation of material orbiting the star assembling together in a series of intricate spiral arms.
What is gravitational instability and how does it relate to planet formation?
Gravitational instability is when large fragments of the material around a star contract and collapse. This process could lead to the formation of giant planets, as evidenced by the findings around the star V960 Mon.
Who led the study that was published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters?
The study was led by Philipp Weber, a researcher at the University of Santiago, Chile.
How will the ELT aid further exploration?
The Extremely Large Telescope (ELT), currently under construction, will allow for the exploration of the chemical complexity surrounding the clumps, providing more information about the composition of the material from which potential planets are forming.
Who comprised the research team?
The team was made up of young researchers from various Chilean universities and institutes, under the Millennium Nucleus on Young Exoplanets and their Moons (YEMS) research center, funded by the Chilean National Agency for Research and Development (ANID).
More about Planet Formation
- European Southern Observatory (ESO)
- Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA)
- Very Large Telescope (VLT)
- Universidad Diego Portales, Chile
- University of Santiago, Chile
- The Astrophysical Journal Letters
- Millennium Science Initiative Program, Chile
- Digitized Sky Survey 2
4 comments
Seems like Chile is the place to be for all things astronomy, huh? Who knew!
always been a fan of the Monoceros constellation. Now, even more reason to love it. Way to go, ESO!
Didnt know about V960 Mon before…and it’s over 5000 light years away! Space is mind blowing, isn’t it?
gravitational instability forming jupiter-sized planets, huh? sounds complex but super interesting. Hats off to the research team!