Scientists believe they may have discovered the youngest planet ever found in the galaxy.
The planet, believed to be about 1.5 million years old and located 395 light-years from Earth, is still being developed, with gas and dust surrounding it, according to research published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
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“If confirmed, this CPD-hosting planet would be one of the youngest exoplanets detected to date. Observing planets at this young age allows us to place strong constraints on the mechanism and timescale of planet formation, crucial to gaining new insights into the formation and evolution of giant planets,” the scientists wrote in the research.
For comparison, Earth is estimated to be about 4.54 billion years old. The planet is located in the constellation Ophiuchus near a young star named AS 209, which is also about 1.5 million years old, according to the study.
Scientists used a system known as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and the ALMA telescope to collect data about the planet. They concluded that the planet has been enveloped by material that traditionally makes planets, such as gas and dust, often referred to as circumstellar disks.
“It is like looking at our own past,” Myriam Benisty, an astronomer who co-authored the study, said, according to the New York Times.
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The discovery of the circumplanetary disk has provided evidence that many planets are often cradled by the material that forms them for extended periods of time during their formation, according to the research. It is not clear how large the Earth’s circumplanetary disk was during its early years, Anders Johansen, an astronomer who did not participate in the study, told the outlet.
