Astronomers Confirm Second Protoplanet in WISPIT 2 System
Researchers have confirmed the existence of WISPIT 2c, a second forming planet in the WISPIT 2 system, providing new insights into planetary formation around young stars.
Astronomers have confirmed the presence of a second protoplanet, WISPIT 2c, in the WISPIT 2 system, located approximately 437 light-years from Earth. This discovery offers valuable insights into the formation of planetary systems around young stars.
WISPIT 2 is a young star, about 5 million years old, with a mass similar to our Sun. It is surrounded by a multi-ringed protoplanetary disk, a region of gas and dust where planets form. In 2025, researchers identified WISPIT 2b, a gas giant approximately five times the mass of Jupiter, orbiting at a distance of 57 astronomical units (AU) from the star.
The newly confirmed protoplanet, WISPIT 2c, is estimated to have a mass between 8 and 12 times that of Jupiter and orbits at a distance of 14 AU from WISPIT 2. The confirmation was achieved through observations using the Very Large Telescope's SPHERE instrument and the GRAVITY+ instrument, which provided direct spectroscopic evidence of the planet's existence.
Lead author Chloe Lawlor from the University of Galway stated, "WISPIT 2 is the best look into our own past that we have to date."
The WISPIT 2 system is only the second known instance of multiple forming planets observed around a young star, following the discovery of the PDS 70 system. The presence of multiple planets in formation within WISPIT 2's protoplanetary disk provides a unique opportunity to study the early stages of planetary system development.
Researchers also noted structural features in the disk that suggest the potential presence of additional forming planets. Lawlor mentioned, "These structures suggest that more planets are currently forming, which we will eventually detect."
The findings were published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters.