Exoplanet's Spiral Arms: A Cosmic Sculptor's Masterpiece
Astronomers have discovered a giant exoplanet, MWC 758c, that is responsible for shaping the spiral arms in the protoplanetary disk around its parent star. This red-hued exoplanet, located around 500 light-years from Earth, is estimated to be just a few million years old. The discovery provides evidence that giant planets can form early on and gravitationally alter their environment for the formation of smaller planets. The researchers plan to use the James Webb Space Telescope in 2024 to further study this system and apply their findings to other stellar systems.