The giant planet forms around the star near the Earth

A giant ice planet can form in the dust cloud around the star TW Hydrae, located 176 light-years from Earth.

The giant planet can form in the dust cloud around the star TW Hydrae.(Photo: NAOJ).

The research team at Ibaraki University in Japan found signs of a newly formed planet around TW Hydrae about 10 million years old, one of the closest young stars to Earth, Independent reported on September 15. TW Hydrade is located 176 light-years from Earth and is observed through a series of radio telescopes in Chile.

The team used the Atacama Large Milimeter Array (ALMA) telescope, consisting of 66 antennas located on Llano de Chajnantor observatory in the Atacama desert, north of Chile, to look for signs of the new planet.

Previous studies have shown that the TW Hydrae star is surrounded by a circle of tiny dust particles. After observing with the ALMA telescope, scientists found many holes in this circle. Some research assumes gaps are evidence of new planet formation.

According to the Japan National Observatory (NAOJ), the new planet may be a giant ice planet similar to Uranus or Neptune. They believe this will be a big step in understanding the origins of many other planets.