For first time, scientists spot an alien planet as it is being formed

The disc around the young AB Aurigae star, where ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) has spotted signs of planet birth is seen in an image obtained with the VLT's SPHERE instrument in polarized light and released May 20, 2020. Close to the centre of the image, in the inner region of the disc, A 'twist' (in very bright yellow) is seen that scientists believe marks the spot where a planet is forming. ESO/Boccaletti et al/Handout via REUTERS.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Astronomers have gazed into what appears to be a planetary maternity ward, observing for the first time within a huge disk of dense gas and dust surrounding a newly formed star a planet in the process of being born.

This large young planet is forming around a star called AB Aurigae that is about 2.4 times the mass of the sun and located in our Milky Way galaxy 520 light years from Earth, researchers said on Wednesday. A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).