This is how the Solar System appeared: the best photo of planets currently forming has been captured (image included).

All planets emerge from protoplanetary disks composed of gas and dust that encircle young stars. Astronomers still have much to learn about how planets form, which makes every detailed image of this process highly valuable. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers conducted an in-depth study of the formation of two planets near the star PDS 70, resulting in the best image of this process to date. Interestingly, these two planets are among the few that scientists have managed to observe directly. The research was published in The Astronomical Journal, as reported by Live Science.

The star PDS 70 is located approximately 370 light-years away from us and belongs to the class of orange dwarfs. Unlike yellow dwarfs, such as our Sun, these stars are believed to have a much longer lifespan, according to astronomers.

Several years ago, astronomers discovered two young, forming planets named PDS 70b and PDS 70c in the protoplanetary disk surrounding PDS 70, using the ground-based VLT telescope. Notably, PDS 70b is the first planet that astronomers observed directly, rather than through its gravitational influence on the star or by blocking its light.

Now, astronomers have studied these two planets with unprecedented detail using the James Webb Space Telescope. The scientists have confirmed that these planets are indeed still in the process of formation. They compare the new photograph of this distant planetary system to an unfortunately unattainable image of the young Solar System, as this is roughly how the known planets formed within it.

The new research revealed that both planets and the star PDS 70 are acquiring material for further mass accumulation from a single source: the protoplanetary disk of gas surrounding the young star, which is only about 5 million years old. This means that the star has not yet become a typical star, a transition that will occur in several tens of millions of years.

According to the scientists, they have gained an incredible opportunity to observe the formation of new planets almost in real-time, noting that the light from the stellar system traveled to the James Webb Telescope for 370 years.

This research will enhance our understanding of how young planets form and provide answers to questions regarding the formation of our Solar System.

The new study also suggests that a third planet may be forming around the star PDS 70, but more evidence is needed. If this planet exists, it is indicated that it could be significantly different from its two neighboring planets.