The James Webb Space Telescope has spotted hints of exomoons forming around two planets in the young star system PDS 70, located about 400 light years from Earth.
Astronomers using Webb detected what may be a third planet in the system, designated PDS 70D, in addition to the two previously known planets PDS 70B and PDS 70C. PDS 70D appears dust-enshrouded and orbits its star at around 13 times the Earth-Sun distance.
Webb also observed a spiral stream of material feeding the growth of planet PDS 70C, suggesting it is gaining mass rapidly and may form moons as it accumulates this material. This would be the first direct observation connecting such a spiral feature to a forming planet.
The detections provide new insights into planetary and satellite formation in young star systems. Further observations are needed to confirm the existence of PDS 70D, but the system offers a rare opportunity to study planet birth processes using state-of-the-art telescopes like Webb. Studying PDS 70 could help astronomers better understand how our own solar system developed.
Source: space
