Astronomers have gotten very good at spotting the signs of planet formation around stars. But for a complete understanding of planet formation, we also need to study examples where planet formation has not yet started. This successful non-detection of planet formation may indicate that DG Taurus is on the eve of planet formation. Planet growth is so slow that it's not possible to watch the evolution as it happens, so astronomers observe many protostars at slightly different stages of planet formation to build up a theoretical understanding. Future studies of more examples will further improve our understanding of planet formation.

Source: The Nation October 06, 2023 18:35 UTC