Young sunlike system reveals comets may carry water toward forming planets
Astronomers at Lund University in Sweden have found evidence of exocomets—comets in other solar systems—orbiting a young star similar to our sun. The observations point to a possible mechanism for how water might be transported from the cold outer regions of the planetary system to regions where planets form.
Astronomers at Lund University in Sweden have discovered evidence of exocomets, comets orbiting other stars, around a young star called PDS 70. This star is similar to our sun and is located about 370 light-years away from Earth. The star, which is slightly cooler than our sun, is just over 5 million years old, making it one of the youngest systems in which exocomet activity has been observed.
The researchers found that variations in sodium gas near the star could be a sign of comets passing through the inner parts of the system. This mechanism could explain how water, which is typically found in cold outer regions of planetary systems, can be transported to the regions where planets form.
This discovery is significant as it suggests that comets may play a crucial role in delivering water and other volatile substances to planetary systems, much like they did in the early stages of our own solar system. The findings were based on observations made between 2018 and 2023 using various telescopes.
Written by urgent.news from Phys.org's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
