Astronomers Spot Birth of Distant Solar System

Astronomers have, for the first time, observed the earliest stage of planet formation around a star beyond our Sun.

Using the James Webb Space Telescope and the ALMA observatory in Chile, an international team detected the first solid specks of planet-building material forming around a young star known as HOPS-315, located 1,300 light-years away.

These hot minerals, rich in silicon monoxide, mirror those found in ancient meteorites that seeded planets in our own Solar System.

The discovery, published in Nature, marks the most primitive phase of planetary formation ever captured and sheds new light on how worlds like Earth begin.

Scientists say this young star system closely resembles what our own looked like over 4.5 billion years ago.

The findings open a new window into the early stages of planet formation and offer vital clues to the origins of planets, moons, and even life itself.