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A graduate student group at the University of Galway has been involved in the spectacular discovery of a newborn planet around a nearby young star. The research team led by Richelle van Capelleveen at the University of Leiden in the Netherlands and co-led by the University of Galway used the ESO's Very Large Telescope in the Chilean Atacama desert to take an image of this system in near-infrared light. 

While many so-called exoplanets have been discovered around old stars, very few such objects are known in younger systems. These very young planets are crucial to help us understand how planet are actually forming. The new system WISPIT 2b is the first such planet discovered in a multi-ringed disk around a sun-like star. The planet is most likely responsible for opening the gap in the disk that it is residing in by "vacuuming up" all the surrounding material during its initial formation phase.

Dr. Christian Ginski, lecturer at the School of Natural Sciences and 2nd author of the research article said: "The discovery of this planet is really a breakthrough within our field. It shows us without a doubt that multi-ringed disks, of which we have found many, can contain planets. I am really thrilled that this discovery was made possible by the diligent work of several young researchers, foremost Richelle van Capelleveen, who is a PhD student at the University of Leiden, but also our very own graduate students here in Galway."

A video zooming into the planet is available here.

The Galway research team includs Chloe Lawlor who is a PhD student in the group of Dr. Ginski at the University of Galway, as well as Dan McLachlan and Jake Byrne, who are both MSc students in Dr. Ginski's group (Image taken by: Martina Regan).

Chloe Lawlor, PhD student in Physics with a specialisation in Astrophysics at University of Galway, said: “I feel incredibly fortunate to be involved in such an exciting and potentially career defining discovery. WISPIT 2b, with its position within its birth disk, is a beautiful example of a planet that can be used to explore current planet formation models. I am certain this will become a landmark paper, owing particularly to the work of Richelle van Capelleveen and her exceptional team.”

Dan McLachlan, MSc student in Physics with a specialisation in Astrophysics at University of Galway, said: “In my experience so far working in astronomy, sometimes you can get so focused on a small task and you forget about the big picture, and when you zoom out and take in the magnitude of what you are working on it shocks you. This was one such project (an exoplanet direct detection!) and it was such a mind-blowing thing to be a part of. I feel so well treated by the University of Galway Physics department and especially my supervisor Dr Christian Ginski to have provided me with the opportunity to be part of such an exciting project.”

Jake Byrne, MSc student in Physics with a specialisation in Astrophysics at University of Galway, said: “The planet is a remarkable discovery. I could hardly believe it was a real detection when Dr Ginski first showed me the image. It’s a big one - that’s sure to spark discussion within the research community and advance our understanding of planet formation. Contributing to something this impactful, and doing so alongside international collaborators, is exactly the kind of opportunity early-career researchers like Chloe, Dan and I dream of.”

You can find the research paper in which these results are discussed here:

WIde Separation Planets In Time (WISPIT): A Gap-clearing Planet in a Multi-ringed Disk around the Young Solar-type Star WISPIT 2

A companion article was published led by the University of Arizona detailing the discovery of atmospheric gas accretion tracers from this new planet:

Wide Separation Planets in Time (WISPIT): Discovery of a Gap Hα Protoplanet WISPIT 2b with MagAO-X

These results are also featured in an ESO picture of the week.