Astronomers have, for the first time, captured what they believe are the very first moments of rocky planet formation around a newborn star. Using advanced observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope and ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array) in Chile, researchers spotted the earliest known traces of planet-building materials around the infant star HOPS-315.
A Star Like Our Sun?
The young star HOPS-315 is estimated to be only 100,000 to 200,000 years old—a mere infant in astronomical terms. Astronomers believe it’s on track to become a yellow dwarf, similar to our Sun. Thanks to a favorable tilt in its gas disk and a gap in the outer region, the telescopes were able to see into the inner regions where rocky worlds take shape.
Lead researcher Melissa McClure of Leiden Observatory stated, “We’ve captured a direct glimpse of the hot region where rocky planets like Earth are born around young protostars.” The discovery marks a critical step in confirming long-held theories that planets begin to form in these swirling disks of gas and dust soon after stars ignite.
The observations revealed silicate minerals and silicon monoxide gas condensing in the disk—precisely the types of solid materials believed to have built Earth and other terrestrial planets over 4.5 billion years ago. Until now, such early-stage solids had never been directly detected in such a young system.
Silicates, Silicon, and the Cradle of Worlds
Images from the ALMA array show jets of carbon monoxide blasting from the star, with silicon monoxide visible as glowing blue dots. These emissions are a sign that intense activity is occurring within the system, hinting at a potentially rich planetary future.
The region where these materials were observed corresponds to the area in our solar system where the asteroid belt lies—between Mars and Jupiter. This placement is significant, as it mirrors the region where Earth’s building blocks might have formed. Scientists had long questioned whether Earth’s formation scenario was unique or repeatable across the cosmos. The findings from HOPS-315 suggest that similar conditions may exist elsewhere.
According to the research, which was published in the journal Nature, the gas disk around HOPS-315 is massive enough to potentially support the formation of as many as eight planets. While it’s far too early to tell how many planets might eventually form—or whether any will be Earth-like—the system clearly has the raw materials and environment to do so. Full formation could take a million years or more, but the initial steps are now visible.
A Long-awaited Cosmic Breakthrough
The discovery is already generating excitement within the astronomical community. Fred Ciesla of the University of Chicago, who was not involved in the study, described it as a “long-awaited breakthrough.” He noted that the findings open up a “rich opportunity” for scientists hoping to better understand planet formation.
Co-author Merel van’t Hoff of Purdue University raised one of the field’s most compelling questions: “Are there Earth-like planets out there, or are we so special that we might not expect it to occur very often?” This new evidence suggests that rocky planet formation could be more common than previously believed, perhaps even routine in young solar systems like HOPS-315.
The observation gives astronomers a powerful new window into the early universe, where star systems are still forming and evolving. For now, it’s a rare, glowing snapshot of cosmic creation in real time—one that could shape how we understand our own origins among the stars.
