Unraveling the Mystery of a Star's Tentacle-Like Arms
Astronomers have discovered a gas giant exoplanet within the spiral arms of a young star, providing evidence that these arms are caused by giant planets. The star, surrounded by a protoplanetary disk, is still in the process of forming and the gravity of the exoplanet, named MWC 758c, is drawing debris from the disk into the arms. This observation supports the theory that giant planets form early on and play a role in the formation of planetary systems. The discovery was made using the Large Binocular Telescope Interferometer (LBTI), which scans longer, redder wavelengths in the infrared range.