Chilean telescope captures planet formation around young star

This image taken by the Chilean Extremely Large Telescope shows a young planet being born outside of the solar system. At the center is a young star similar to the sun, surrounded by a protoplanetary disk filled with dust. The disk exhibits gaps and ring shapes, which indicate that the newly formed planet is using gravity to gather gas and dust and clear a path in its orbit. This observation is the first case of directly confirming the process through which a planet carves out space in a disk, making it a significant discovery that provides insight into the early stages of planet formation.