Astronomers have discovered a new way to estimate the masses of newborn planets hidden inside protoplanetary disks—by reading the dust rings around young stars. Using simulations and ALMA observations, researchers from the University of Warwick, MIT, and McMaster University linked ring brightness and width to planet mass, then tested it on PDS 70c and applied it to five more disks from the exoALMA survey.
This breakthrough could reveal planets too hidden to see directly and transform how we study planet formation.
🔬 Source: Phys.org — "Astronomers discover how to estimate masses of newborn planets using dust rings" https://phys.org/news/2026-05-astronomers-masses-newborn-planets.html
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