Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Emerging Tech
  3. News

Astronomers spot formation of baby gas giant using planet-hunting satellite TESS

By
Add as a preferred source on Google

An artist’s rendering of a gas giant in a binary stellar system. NASA / JPL-Caltech / T. Pyle

A young exoplanet still in the process of being formed has been identified using NASA’s planet-hunting satellite, TESS (Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite).

Recommended Videos

The planet, DS Tuc Ab, orbits around the star DS Tuc, located 151 light-years away from us in the constellation of Tucana (the toucan). The planet is nearly six times the size of the Earth, making it in between the sizes of Neptune and Saturn, which indicates it is most similar to the gas giants in our Solar System.

Studying this planet could help astronomers understand more about how planets grow, as it is a “pre-teen” in planetary terms. The paper in which the research is published describes young exoplanets as “snapshots of the planetary evolution process” which can help scientists understand more about how planets develop and change over time. Planets are believed to start out their lives as larger when they are first formed, shrinking in size over time as they lose their atmospheres.

“One of the overall goals of astronomy is understanding the big picture of how we got here, how solar systems and galaxies take shape and why,” Dr. Elisabeth Newton, an astronomer at Dartmouth College, said in a statement. “By finding solar systems that are different from our own — especially young ones — we can hope to learn why Earth and our own Solar System evolved in the ways that they did.”

In the case of DS Tuc Ab, the planet is now at the point in its development where it is no longer growing larger, but it is still in the process of losing its atmosphere. The changes are happening comparatively very rapidly, which is why the astronomers were excited to find a planet at this particular point in its evolution. Its atmosphere is being stripped away due to radiation from the nearby star.

“We were really excited when we confirmed this discovery because the planet orbits such a bright, well-known young star,” Dr. Newton said. “We hope that by seeing this planet’s atmosphere, we can provide a snapshot of what planets look like at a young age.”

The findings are published in the Astrophysical Journal Letters.

Georgina Torbet
Georgina Torbet
Former Space Writer
Georgina has been the space writer at Digital Trends space writer for six years, covering human space exploration, planetary…
Topics
Anti-surveillance clothing is getting cheaper, but don’t expect an invisibility cloak
Affordable shirts now claim to confuse facial recognition, although their protection depends heavily on the camera and software watching you
Chart, Plot, Adult

Anti-surveillance clothing is starting to look less like an art-school experiment and more like something you could actually wear outside. Shirts designed to confuse facial recognition systems now cost about as much as ordinary streetwear, although buying one won’t make you disappear.

The Guardian reports that designers are using face-like prints, unusual cuts and infrared lights to interfere with computer vision. These techniques target specific weaknesses, so their success depends on what happens to be watching you.

Read more
This spinning drone hides in plain sight using a visual illusion
This drone doesn't turn invisible. It tricks your brain into thinking it has.
Phantom Twist

For decades, engineers have chased the dream of an invisible drone. The usual approaches have involved transparent materials, camouflage coatings, or complex optical systems that bend light around an object. Researchers at Northwestern University decided to take a completely different route. Instead of hiding the drone itself, they chose to fool the human eye.

The result is Phantom Twist, an experimental drone that spins so rapidly it almost disappears into the background. It's not technically invisible, but to anyone watching, it looks more like a faint blur than a flying machine.

Read more
This smart knitted fabric can flip switches, count your steps, and even change shape
Grandma's knitting just entered its Iron Man era
Representative Image

For most of us, knitting brings to mind sweaters, scarves, and perhaps an ambitious grandmother determined to make winter more fashionable. Researchers at Harvard University, however, have a far more futuristic vision. They've transformed ordinary knitted fabric into a programmable material capable of changing shape, acting as an electrical switch, sensing movement, and potentially forming the foundation of tomorrow's wearable technology.

The research, published in Advanced Functional Materials by scientists at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), demonstrates how machine-knitted textiles can "snap" between multiple stable shapes without relying on motors or rigid mechanical parts.

Read more