Astronomers Confirm Elias 2-24b as Youngest Known Exoplanet, Challenging Planet Formation Models
A team of researchers, headed by Andrea Bernardi from Diego Portales University in Chile, has identified Elias 2-24b, the most youthful exoplanet known, located approximately 450 light-years away from our planet. This exoplanet orbits its host star, Elias 2-24, at a distance of 55 astronomical units and possesses a mass ranging from 1.9 to 4.0 times that of Jupiter. Given that the star is less than 1 million years old, the planet is similarly young. The researchers examined protoplanetary disks and revisited findings from the W.M. Keck Observatory (2018, 2020) and the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory. This finding poses a challenge to the core accretion theory, as Elias 2-24b formed in under 1 million years. Coauthor Lucas Siesa mentioned that the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope will improve the search for young planets.
Key facts
- Elias 2-24b is the youngest confirmed exoplanet, located about 450 light-years from Earth.
- It orbits its star at approximately 55 astronomical units and has a mass 1.9 to 4.0 times that of Jupiter.
- The host star is less than 1 million years old, making the planet similarly young.
- The research team was led by Andrea Bernardi at Diego Portales University in Chile.
- Data from the W.M. Keck Observatory in 2018 and 2020 was used to confirm the planet's position.
- The discovery breaks the previous record held by exoplanets around PDS 70 and WISPIT 2, both over 5 million years old.
- The core accretion model predicts Jupiter-sized planets take about 5 million years to form, but Elias 2-24b formed much faster.
- NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launched in August, will aid future young planet detection.
Entities
Artists
- Andrea Bernardi
- Lucas Siesa
Institutions
- Diego Portales University
- European Southern Observatory
- Very Large Telescope
- W.M. Keck Observatory
- NASA
- Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope
- WIRED Japan
Locations
- Chile
- Hawaii
- United States