PDS 70 b Archives

The NIRC2 image of dust around a young star named HD34282 (left) produced using an algorithm to construct images from aperture masking interferometry data. The light from the star is removed and its location is marked with a star symbol in all panels. The model that reproduces the data (middle) includes a circular inner structure around the star, which may be an envelope of dust. There is also a large protoplanetary disk around both the star and the inner structure. Between the inner structure and the protoplanetary disk is a ~40 AU gap, where planets may be forming. On the right is the image of the model after it is passed through the algorithm used on the left. This is done to test if the model can visually reproduce the data. Credit: Christina Vides / University of California Irvine / W. M. Keck Observatory.

Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Press Release

Astronomers Reveal Insights Into Exoplanet Formation

by Keith CowingNovember 6, 2025November 6, 2025

Astronomers using W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea, Hawaiʻi Island have taken the closest-ever look at the dusty regions where planets form, offering new insight into the earliest stages of […]

(A to C) Continuum-subtracted maps. (A) Integrated cube (6908-9158 Å). (B) [C i] λ8272 integrated map. (C) Sum of the integrated maps of the [O ii] doublet at 7320 and 7330 Å. White dashed contours indicate intensity levels. Their spacing are indicated with the whites lines on the colorbars. (D) MUSE spectrum (blue) and HST photometry (orange dots) of V2376 Ori b. HST filter widths are indicated by orange bars. Green lines mark recombination features, other lines are labeled in black. -- astro-ph.EP

Astrogeology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Status Report

Observation Of An Accreting Planetary-Mass Companion With Signs Of Disk-Disk Interaction in Orion

by Keith CowingSeptember 20, 2025

Young (≲10 Myr) planetary-mass companions (PMCs) provide valuable insights into the formation and early evolution of planetary systems.

Image of AB Aurigae in hydrogen-alpha (Hα) light, showing the newborn protoplanet AB Aurigae b clearly detected about 0.6”almost due south of the central star. The central 0.3” region around the star is masked for clarity. (Credit: T. Currie / Astrobiology Center)

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release, Stellar Cartography

Formation Of Exoplanet AB Aurigae b Detected in H-alpha Light

by Keith CowingSeptember 6, 2025September 6, 2025

Small rocky planets like Earth, which can harbor life, and giant gas planets like Jupiter are born around stars like the Sun. Their birthplace is a thin, disk-shaped structure of […]

TOP: Other MUSE reductions showing the detection of AB Aur b from OB4. (left, middle) 6558.88 Aand 6560.13 Afrom the reduction shown in Figure 1. Average of the 6558.88 Aand 6560.13 Aslices from a classical SDI reduction (right). In each panel, we mask the field out to a separation affected by horizontal striping and saturation BOTTWO: Detection of AB Aur b from OB2 (left, middle panels) and weaker detection from OB1 in blue-shifted Hα (right). -- astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exploration Gear & Tech, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

VLT/MUSE Detection Of The AB Aurigae b Protoplanet With Ha Spectroscopy

by Keith CowingAugust 29, 2025

We analyze high-contrast, medium-spectral-resolution Hα observations of the star AB Aurigae using the Very Large Telescope’s Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE).

Artists concept of planet formation in the PDS 70 system.-- The Graduate University for Advanced Studies/NAOJ

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Press Release

JWST Captures An Unprecedented Glimpse of Planet Formation in the PDS 70 System

by Keith CowingJune 19, 2025June 19, 2025

A groundbreaking study by Canadian astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed new insights into how planets take shape. Led by University of Victoria Ph.D. candidate Dori […]

Primary-subtracted images of PDS 70 in 2020 (left) and 2024 (right). North is up and East is to the left. Color scales of the two panels are identical. The expected positions of PDS 70 b and c are marked. The white dashed line marks the inner edge of PDS 70’s outer disk in infrared scattered light. PDS 70 b is detected in both epochs and demonstrates a significant orbital motion. PDS 70 c is only detected in Epoch 2024. The apparent brightness variations in PDS 70 b and c do not accurately represent the planets’ intrinsic variability, as high-contrast imaging post-processing introduces flux loss. For a comprehensive analysis of the evidence for variability, refer to Section 3.3. astro-ph.EP

Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

Evidence for Variable Accretion Onto PDS 70 c and Implications for Protoplanet Detections

by Keith CowingFebruary 21, 2025

Understanding the processes of planet formation and accretion in young systems is essential to unraveling the initial conditions of planetary systems.

The natal disk of PDS 70 with new planet PDS 70b (bright spot on the right). By studying this system, researchers uncovered a mismatched composition of gases in the planet’s atmosphere compared to gases within the disk. Credit ESO/A. Müller et al.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Atmospheres, Climate, Weather, Biogeochemical Cycles & Geobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Gas Giants, Press Release

Young Exoplanet’s Atmosphere Unexpectedly Differs From Its Birthplace

by Keith CowingDecember 19, 2024December 19, 2024

Just as some children physically resemble their parents, many scientists have long thought that developing planets should resemble the swirling disk of gas and dust that births them.

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Biochemistry & Organic Chemistry, Biosignatures & Paleobiology, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Imaging & Spectroscopy, Status Report

PDS 70b Shows Stellar-like Carbon-to-Oxygen Ratio

by Keith CowingNovember 25, 2024November 25, 2024

The ∼5 Myr PDS 70 is the only known system with protoplanets residing in the cavity of the circumstellar disk from which they formed, ideal for studying exoplanet formation and […]