Using the ALMA and James Webb telescopes, an international team of astronomers has, for the first time in history, recorded the earliest moment of planet formation around the star HOPS-315, located 1,300 light-years away from us.

Key Discovery

• The team discovered the first grains of solid matter — hot minerals based on silicon monoxide (SiO), just beginning to condense and solidify within the protoplanetary disk of a young star.
• This is direct evidence of the initial process that creates the "building blocks" of future planets (planetesimals).

Why It's Important

1. A Window into the Past: Observing HOPS-315 provides a unique opportunity to study processes similar to those that led to the formation of Earth and the other planets in our system.
2. A Breakthrough in Observations: This marks the first direct detection of the condensation of refractory solids in a protoplanetary disk beyond our Solar System. Co-author Edwin Bergin emphasises: "This process has never been observed before... anywhere outside our Solar System."
3. Synergy of Telescopes: The discovery demonstrates the power of combining ALMA (which determined the location in the disk) with the James Webb Space Telescope (which detected the chemical signatures of the minerals).