Community | April 02, 2008 | 23 comments

Youngest planet ever discovered!

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brylou01
Using radio observatories in the UK and US and computer simulations, a team of astronomers have identified the youngest forming planet yet seen. Dr Richards adds, “The new object, designated HL Tau b, is the youngest planetary object ever seen and is just 1 percent as old as the young planet found in orbit around the star TW Hydrae that made the news last year. HL Tau b gives a unique view of how planets take shape, because the VLA image also shows the parent disk material from which it formed.”

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23 comments // Youngest planet ever discovered!

  • astonv1
  • prikster
  • astonv1
  • Neghie
    • 0
      Neghie  
    • I find it strange that some people could care less about space exploration. Ditto with what Jubal said. Taxes, poverty, disease and the lot of our humanoid issues won't be issues if we have no planet, which we can no longer deny seeing as the planet is falling apart right in front of our very eyes.

    • 4 years ago
  • echoz
    • 0
      echoz  
    • I don't think the observations are any waste of time when "enquiring minds want to know" after all =) but I always wonder about these unquestionable "computer simulations." I mean, aren't they only as smart as the imagination of the small group of people who program them? And don't they always come back from having "physically" seen something with "wow! we we're amazed this and that exceeded our best 'computer modeled' guestimations! We need more data!" =D hehe ...invariably. And yet these press releases always sounds so sternly bottom-line "this is it." tsk

      I remember some scientist saying it was a good thing they never actually charted a course *through* the rings of saturn because it wasn't what they *thought* it was...and they only discovered that too late. hmmm... good thing for serendipity, huh?

    • 4 years ago
  • jubal
    • 0
      jubal  
    • If the human race is going to survive, we are going to have to find other suitable planets to live on. We are quickly reaching the point where our population can double in 10 years. Already there are many programs in place for population control. The biggest of these is war, the second is disease, and the third is drugs.

    • 4 years ago
  • VSiskos
  • alman365
    • 0
      alman365  
    • as cool as this is, im sad i'll never be able to see how it turns out! in saying that im sure this will give some valuable insight to how our planet was made and perhaps how to preserve it...if we make it that long, after all, this is a very long process

    • 4 years ago
  • BetterWatching
  • dndobson
  • AceHardchester
  • jade_azul16
  • woodywoodbeck
    • 0
      woodywoodbeck  
    • Image
    • Well in related Solar system & planet news, check out this Current.com thread about how a discovery in another planet's atmosphere could mean there is other life out there!

    • 4 years ago
  • Robijnson
  • Swiyyah
  • mr_jaron2u
    • 0
      mr_jaron2u  
    • Does staring at a planet really help us with the issues of today? I think we are just blowing some of our taxpayers money on useless observations.

    • 4 years ago
  • Ando_SB
  • yonie
  • brylou01
  • Not_Doody
  • jade_azul16
    • 0
      jade_azul16  
    • It is the first picture of a protoplanet still embed in it's birth material, awe how sweet, just straight out of the womb, with the placenta and umbilical cord still around.

      A planet in the making.

    • 4 years ago
  • ksimpson
  • Tomcatt
    • 0
      Tomcatt  
    • Wow. Too bad none of us will be around to see the end effect of this planet when it formation is completed.

      It looks like there are a lot more "eyes" watching the heavens nowadays.

    • 4 years ago
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