A Baby In The Cosmic Basket

     When it comes to human experience in the cosmos, we have begun to accumulate a wide base of knowledge and as of a few weeks ago we have another important concept down. At long last we believe we have seen a new planet in the process of formation. While he have seen the destruction of stars, detected the effects of black holes, and "heard" the resonance of the big bang, we still not yet seen a planet forming, at least until now.

Artists Interpretation of a new planet around the young star T Cha

     The baby planet in question is around the star T Chamaeleontis (T Cha) and while it has not been precisely seen, there is evidence that a new planet is forming around the star. Usually when astronomers find a young star, they also find a basic cloud of dust circling the star. The difference between this star and all the rest is that astronomers have found two rings instead of one and it is a distinct possibility that this gap represents a planet.
      On the other hand there is the possibility that it is an elusive brown dwarf which would also clear up a band around a star.
     The true excitement through all of this is that we can actually detect these things; how far we have come in these past few decades in terms of what we can see is stellar at least (pardon the pun), those recent followers of my blog may remember the excitement over the Kepler results and the shear volume of data that brought back. Space is full of discoveries that we can make if we just focus the technology and realize that some discoveries are worth the time, effort, and tax dollars.
May The Stars Shine Brightly In Your Skies

tip of the hat to Science Daily