Scientists caught a new planet forming for the first time ever

For the first time, we have observed a planet being formed and have captured images of dust and gas particles accumulating together to make a protoplanet in a distant solar system. The phenomenon was observed in the solar system surrounding a star called LkCa 15, located 450 light-years away from Earth. Catching a planet in the making is an exciting first because, of the nearly 3500 exoplanets we’ve so far identified, none are in the process of formation. Observations like these are crucial to test planet formation theories and improve our understanding of planet formation, which is still uncertain today.