According to the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, astronomers have directly imaged the swirl where a protoplanet interacts with gas in a surrounding protoplanetary disk, marking a first for capturing active planet formation stages simultaneously. Led by Myriam Benisty, the research team utilized the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile to capture the interactions of the gas giant WISPIT 2b with its birthplace environment.
ALMA Observations Capture Gas Swirls Around WISPIT 2b
Planets form within protoplanetary disks made of gas and dust surrounding newly formed stars. Dust clumps together into pebbles, grows into planetesimals, and eventually forms rocky cores that can sweep up massive amounts of gas to become giants like Jupiter or Saturn. While facilities like the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) previously imaged protoplanets like PDS 70b, those systems largely cleared their neighborhoods of gas, preventing detailed study of immediate surroundings. Discovered in August 2025 through the WIde Separation Planets In Time (WISPIT) search program, the WISPIT 2 system sits 430 light-years from Earth and retains active gas interactions.
Did you know? Imaging a structure as large as the Earth-Sun distance at the distance of WISPIT 2 is comparable to reading an ordinary book from a distance of 5 kilometers.
Detecting Accretion and Disk Structures in WISPIT 2
The WISPIT 2 system features a double star at its center, according to work published in August 2026 by Max Planck Institute for Astronomy PhD student Cade Bürgy. The system’s first known planet, the gas giant WISPIT 2b, possesses five times the mass of Jupiter and shows signature light from hot hydrogen indicating ongoing gas accretion. A second planet, WISPIT 2c, was announced in March 2026 following observations with VLT instruments SPHERE and GRAVITY+. Stefano Facchini of the University of Milan and Myriam Benisty proposed the subsequent ALMA observations, which utilized the array in powerful configurations between September 2025 and March 2026.
By applying advanced data extraction techniques honed through the exoALMA project, the team imaged dust and gas details as detailed as any that had been taken of any protoplanetary disk before. According to Myriam Benisty, WISPIT 2c carved a cavity, and WISPIT 2b carved a gap, while WISPIT 2b exhibits distinct swirls of gas predicted by simulations but never previously observed.
Distinguishing Protoplanet Signatures From Disk Turbulence
Prior observations revealed swirling features in other protoplanetary disks without direct planet detections, sparking debate over whether these patterns signify unseen planets or merely turbulent disk processes. Because the WISPIT 2 system displays both the swirling features and the associated planet, Stefano Facchini notes that such observations could help astronomers definitively distinguish between disk features indicating protoplanets and those driven by other mechanisms.
Pro Tip for Researchers
Combining millimeter-wave interferometer data from arrays like ALMA with near-infrared high-contrast imaging from the VLT allows astronomers to cross-examine gas kinematics and dust structures simultaneously.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the WISPIT 2 system?
WISPIT 2 is a stellar system located 430 light-years from Earth that contains a central binary star and at least two planets, WISPIT 2b and WISPIT 2c, surrounded by a protoplanetary disk.
How was the gas swirl around WISPIT 2b imaged?
Astronomers used the ALMA observatory in Chile, combining data from its 66 radio antennas with specialized analytical techniques developed by the exoALMA project.
Why is the direct imaging of gas swirls important?
It provides direct observational evidence of gas interacting with an accreting protoplanet, helping researchers verify theoretical simulations and identify whether specific disk swirls reliably indicate hidden planets.
To stay updated on the latest exoplanet discoveries and advancements in astronomical imaging, subscribe to our newsletter or explore our archives for more breaking research.
Keep reading