Planet Elias 2-24 b confirmed after decade of disk observations

Astronomers used archival data from Keck, ALMA and the Very Large Telescope to confirm the planet, which had been hinted at by a gap in the star's disk for about a decade.

Luisa Marconi

Senior Space Correspondent

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Astronomers confirm new planet after decade of study AI illustrationhow this picture was made

The planet Elias 2-24 b has been confirmed around the young star Elias 2-24, resolving a gap in the star's disk that had been observed for about a decade.^[3] The confirmation combined Keck Observatory archival data from 2018 and 2020 with earlier detections from ALMA and the Very Large Telescope.^[2] About a decade before the confirmation, ALMA and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope had observed an empty ring and a faint point of light around the star, but astronomers were doubtful because planet formation theories estimated a Jupiter-size planet takes about 5 million years to form.^[1] Andrea Bernardi said Elias 2-24 b is at the limit of current telescope capabilities and that NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launched on August 30, should make such detections easier.^[4]

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About a decade before the confirmation, ALMA and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope had observed an empty ring and a faint point of light around the star Elias 2-24, but astronomers were doubtful because planet formation theories estimated a Jupiter-size planet takes about 5 million years to form. · Mashable
The discovery team utilized ALMA observations from 2017, the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope, and Keck II telescope data from 2018 and 2020 to confirm the planet's presence. · Space Daily
The confirmation combined Keck Observatory archival data from 2018 and 2020 with earlier detections from ALMA and the Very Large Telescope, resolving a gap in the disk that had been observed for about a decade. · Phys.org
Andrea Bernardi said Elias 2-24 b is at the limit of current telescope capabilities and that NASA's Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope, launched on August 30, should make such detections easier. · Phys.org

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