Two Planets Found Forming Around Young Star WISPIT 2
Astronomers have observed two giant gas planets forming around the young star WISPIT 2, providing a rare glimpse into the early stages of planetary system development. This discovery, made using the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Particularly Large Telescope (VLT), offers valuable insights into how solar systems, including our own, come into being.
A Unique Planetary System
WISPIT 2, located in the constellation Aquila, is surrounded by a large and structured disc of gas and dust – the raw material from which planets are born. Unlike other protoplanetary discs, WISPIT 2’s disc exhibits prominent gaps and rings carved out by the forming planets, making it an exceptional laboratory for studying planet formation. ESO
Discovery of WISPIT 2b and WISPIT 2c
The first planet, WISPIT 2b, was identified in 2025 as a massive gas giant nearly five times the size of Jupiter, orbiting far from its star. Recent observations have now confirmed the existence of a second planet, WISPIT 2c, orbiting closer to WISPIT 2. Friends of NASA
WISPIT 2c is twice as massive as WISPIT 2b and orbits the star four times closer. Both planets are gas giants, similar to Jupiter. WISPIT 2b orbits at a distance 60 times the separation between Earth and the Sun. Friends of NASA
Observational Tools and Techniques
The observations were conducted using the SPHERE instrument on the VLT. SPHERE directly images exoplanets by correcting atmospheric turbulence and blocking the light from the central star, revealing the faint disc, and planets. The GRAVITY+ instrument on the VLT Interferometer also contributed to confirming the planetary nature of the observed objects. ESO
Significance of the Discovery
“WISPIT 2 is the best appear into our own past that we have to date,” said Chloe Lawlor, a PhD student at the University of Galway, Ireland, and lead author of the study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Friends of NASA
“WISPIT 2 gives us an important laboratory to observe not just the formation of a single planet but entire planetary systems,” said Christian Ginski, a researcher at the University of Galway. Friends of NASA
Lawlor added, “This structure suggests that more planets are currently forming, which we will eventually detect.” Friends of NASA
Further Exploration
The discovery of WISPIT 2b and WISPIT 2c highlights the potential of current instrumentation to observe the birth of planets in real-time. Continued observations of this system promise to reveal further details about the processes involved in planet formation and the evolution of planetary systems. ESO
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