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Astronomers capture images of the birth of a distant planet

Astronomers capture images of the birth of a distant planet

Daily Mail​a day ago
Astronomers have captured incredible images of the birth of a distant planet. The planet orbits the star HD 135344B, which is located around 440 light–years from Earth. The stunning snaps show the planet beginning to sculpt spirals of dust and gas around its home star. The scientists who made the discovery say that the planet is likely twice the size of Jupiter and is as far from its star as Neptune is from the Sun.
Planets are formed from spinning halos of hot material known as protoplanetary discs , which form around very young stars. As planets start to form, they 'sweep' their orbits to produce intricate patterns of rings, gaps, and spirals in the dust. Although astronomers have spotted these patterns in the past, this is the first time anyone has caught one of these planetary sculptures in the act. Lead author Francesco Maio, a doctoral researcher at the University of Florence, says: 'We will never witness the formation of Earth, but here, around a young star 440 light–years away, we may be watching a planet come into existence in real time.'
The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) first spotted the spiral patterns around HD 135344B back in 2016. However, the equipment used in those early studies wasn't sensitive enough to confirm whether there was a protoplanet – the first stage of planetary formation – within the rings. In a new study, published today in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, researchers have used the VLT's new Enhanced Resolution Imager and Spectrograph (ERIS) to pinpoint the planet's likely location. Mr Maio and his co–authors spotted a 'planet candidate' – something strongly believed to be a planet – right at the base of one of the disc's spiral arms.
If these spirals were caused by a planet disturbing the ring of dust, that is exactly where astronomers would expect the planet to be. What makes these observations so special is that the astronomers were actually able to capture light coming directly from the planet itself. This is a significant piece of evidence in favour of the theory that gaps and rings in protoplanetary disks around other stars are hiding protoplanets of their own. Mr Maio says: 'What makes this detection potentially a turning point is that, unlike many previous observations, we are able to directly detect the signal of the protoplanet, which is still highly embedded in the disc.
These observations could also help shed light on how the planets in our own solar system formed over four billion years ago. At the same time, a second group of researchers have used ERIS to spot another potential planet forming around another young, distant star. V960 Mon sits roughly 5,000 light years from Earth and is believed to be extremely young. When astronomers first found captured images of it in 2023, they found that the star was spitting out arms of gas and dust wider than our entire Milky Way.
In this new study, astronomers found that the spiral arms are 'fragmenting' in a way that suggests a process known as 'gravitational instability' is at play. Planets normally form like snowballs rolling down a hill, as matter collides and clumps together into ever bigger lumps – this is known as core accretion. But sometimes, when the gas and dust are cooler and further from the host star, matter will slowly pull itself together under gravity and form clumps that collapse into the core of a planet. Scientists believe this is how gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn typically form.
If this is what has caused the fragmentation around V960 Mons, it would be the first time that anyone has ever seen a planet forming via gravitational instability. However, astronomers now say that something even stranger could be lurking around V960 Mons. The researchers believe that the object could be a 'brown dwarf', an object bigger than a planet that didn't gain enough mass to shine as a star. These giant planets can be between 13 and 80 times the size of Jupiter and typically orbit far out from their companion stars. Likewise, no one has yet captured the exact moment that one of these mysterious objects comes into existence.
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The £1.80 juice that ‘lowers your blood pressure – slashing risk of killer heart attack and stroke'
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How Covid led to an 'acceleration' in brain ageing (even if you didn't have the virus)
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Beetroot juice ‘lowers older people's blood pressure by changing mouth bacteria'
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  • The Independent

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Beetroot juice lowers blood pressure in older people by suppressing potentially harmful bacteria in the mouth, a study suggests. Experts at the University of Exeter compared the responses of younger adults and older adults to beetroot juice, which is rich in dietary nitrates. These nitrates are converted by the body into nitric oxide, which helps to relax and widen blood vessels and lower blood pressure. The study included 39 adults under the age of 30, and 36 people in their 60s and 70s. For two weeks, each group were given shots of beetroot juice. After a two-week break, during which people were given anti-septic mouthwash everyday, the groups were then given a placebo juice with the nitrate stripped out for a fortnight. Researchers used gene sequencing to analyse the bacteria present in the mouth after each part of the trial. In both groups, the so-called oral microbiome – the complex ecosystem of microorganisms in the mouth – changed after drinking the nitrate-rich juice, although the effects differed. In older people, there was a decline in common bacteria that can sometimes cause infections, and an increase in bacteria that can benefit health. Researchers also found the older group had decreased blood pressure after drinking the nitrate-rich juice for two weeks. Professor Andy Jones, of the University of Exeter, said: 'This study shows that nitrate-rich foods alter the oral microbiome in a way that could result in less inflammation, as well as a lowering of blood pressure in older people. 'This paves the way for larger studies to explore the influence of lifestyle factors and biological sex in how people respond to dietary nitrate supplementation.' Professor Anni Vanhatalo, of the University of Exeter, added: 'We know that a nitrate-rich diet has health benefits, and older people produce less of their own nitric oxide as they age. 'They also tend to have higher blood pressure, which can be linked to cardiovascular complications like heart attack and stroke. 'Encouraging older adults to consume more nitrate-rich vegetables could have significant long term health benefits. 'The good news is that if you don't like beetroot, there are many nitrate-rich alternatives like spinach, rocket, fennel, celery and kale.' The study, published in the journal Free Radical Biology and Medicine, was funded by a BBSRC Industrial Partnership Award. Dr Lee Beniston, associate director for industry partnerships and collaborative research and development at BBSRC, said: 'This research is a great example of how bioscience can help us better understand the complex links between diet, the microbiome and healthy ageing. 'By uncovering how dietary nitrate affects oral bacteria and blood pressure in older adults, the study opens up new opportunities for improving vascular health through nutrition.'

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