Astronomers have discovered a planet just 3 million years old in the depths of the universe. TIDYE-1b, also known as IRAS 04125+2902 b, is one of the youngest planets ever observed. In comparison, Earth is 4.5 billion years old, making it 1,500 times older than TIDYE-1b. The discovery of this young planet offers important insights into the early stages of planet formation.
This special discovery is prompting scientists to reassess their models of how planets are born.
“Opportunity to understand the planet formation process” Madyson Barber, a graduate student at the University of North Carolina (UNC-Chapel Hill) and lead author of the study, commented on the discovery:
“Astronomy helps us understand our place in the universe, where we came from, and where we might go. Discoveries like TIDYE-1b allow us to take a journey back in time to study planet formation.”
Barber and her team discovered TIDYE-1b using NASA’s TESS telescope with the transit method. This method detects the presence of a planet by the slight dimming of its star’s light as the planet passes in front of it.
A discovery beyond clouds of dust and gas Over a dozen young planets between 10 and 40 million years old have been found previously, but TIDYE-1b is much younger. The discovery of such a young planet is rare because planets are usually hidden within gas and dust clouds.
Dr. Andrew Mann from UNC-Chapel Hill explained:
“Planets typically form within a flat disk of dust and gas. This is why the planets in our solar system are arranged in a ‘pancake-like’ formation. However, TIDYE-1b is different; it has an orbit that is misaligned with its star and disk. This challenges our current understanding of how planets form.”
Due to its unusual tilt, TIDYE-1b was observable, even though it would typically be hidden from view.
The future Super-Earth TIDYE-1b orbits very close to its star, completing one full orbit in about nine days. Researchers predict that the planet will eventually become a “super-Earth” or a “sub-Neptune”-type planet.
Although not as dense as Earth, TIDYE-1b has a diameter approximately 11 times larger than Earth’s and provides solid evidence that planets can form in less than 10 million years. The scarcity of young planets previously indicated they weren’t non-existent, but simply hidden by gas and dust.
This discovery opens a deeper window into the planet formation processes of the universe’s early periods.