Bizarre & wonderful · Earlier selection
A giant planet is still emerging from its dusty nursery
Astronomers have confirmed a planet less than a million years old, embedded in material surrounding a young star.
NASA’s 16 September report describes Elias 2-24b, roughly Jupiter’s mass and about 450 light-years away. Observations and archival data helped establish that the object is a planet. NASA calls it the youngest confirmed planet known at the time of the announcement; that is not a claim that every younger candidate has been ruled out.
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NASA ↗ (opens a new tab)Research announcement. The scene is an imagined forming planet, not telescope data.
AI-assisted original summary, checked against the linked source on 19 Sept 2026, 15:48 BST. Illustration is AI generated and does not document the event.
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