posted 07-22-2021 12:06 PM               

Two years ago, astronomers spotted an apparent circumplanetary disk around a planet outside of our solar system, but they couldn't be certain. Follow-up observations now show they were right, in a discovery that could improve our understanding of exomoons and how they form in emerging star systems.

Protoplanet PDS70c has a circumplanetary disk, according to new research published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters. Scientists thought as much in research published two years ago, but they weren't able to distinguish the disk from its surrounding environment, leading to doubt. Follow-up observations made by the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile were key to the confirmation.