![]() Other solar systems that astronomers have observed are either fully developed or too far away to see in the kind of detail that HD100546 offers. It’s something astronomers have long believed happens but have never been able to see. Taken together, the findings could mark the first time astronomers have been able to directly observe multiple planets forming in sequence. That means astronomers believe they have found not one but two “candidate planets” orbiting HD100546. The work that Brittain’s team did built on previous research by a team that found a collapsing blob of gas and dust could condense into a planet in about one million years. Brittain’s team believes that this is a new planet that is at least three times the size of Jupiter. This graphic is an artist’s conception of the young massive star HD100546 and its surrounding disk. ![]() And even if you traveled at the speed of light, it would take more than four lifetimes to get there.Īstronomers are interested in the solar system for a different reason. The planet would be an uninhabitable gas giant. ![]() But if you’re looking to relocate, don’t book your ticket on the USS Enterprise just yet. The planet would be at least three times the size of Jupiter, so there would be plenty of real estate. News outlets around the globe covered the discovery in at least four different languages. The team reported its findings in The Astrophysical Journal. He led an international team of scientists that discovered evidence strongly suggesting a planet is orbiting a star known as HD100546. “We’re working on passing the ball,” the father of three said with an easygoing smile.īrittain’s feet are on Earth, but his eyes are often on the night sky. Huge chunks of rock are slamming together to form what could be the first planets of a budding solar system.īack home in Clemson, Brittain deals with a different kind of chaos each Tuesday and Thursday night during soccer season. Sean Brittain has used some of the world’s most powerful telescopes to study the chaos swirling around a young star about 335 light years from Earth. Astrophysicist Sean Brittain straddles two worlds
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