W.M. Keck Observatory | 2020 May 18
New Direct Images Captured with W. M. Keck Observatory’s Upgraded Adaptive Optics System Lead to First Independent Confirmation of PDS 70 ProtoplanetsA direct image of PDS 70 protoplanets b and planet c (labeled with white arrows) with
the circumstellar disk removed. The image was captured using W.M. Keck Observatory’s
recently upgraded adaptive optics system. Credit: J.Wang, Caltech
New evidence shows the first-ever pictures capturing the birth of a pair of planets orbiting the star PDS 70 are in fact authentic.
Using a new infrared pyramid wavefront sensor for adaptive optics (AO) correction at W. M. Keck Observatory on Maunakea in Hawaii, a Caltech-led team of astronomers applied a new method of taking family photos of the baby planets, or protoplanets, and confirmed their existence. ...
PDS 70 is the first known multiplanetary system where astronomers can witness planet formation in action. The first direct image of one of its planets, PDS 70b, was taken in 2018 followed by multiple images taken at different wavelengths of its sibling, PDS 70c, in 2019. Both Jupiter-like protoplanets were discovered by the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT). ...
Keck/NIRC2 L'-band Imaging of Jovian-mass Accreting Protoplanets around PDS 70 ~ Jason J. Wang et al
- Astronomical Journal 159(6):263 (2020 June) DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/ab8aef
- arXiv.org > astro-ph > arXiv:2004.09597 > 20 Apr 2020 (v1), 20 May 2020 (v3)