There is a general consensus that planets form within disks of dust and gas around newly born stars. However, the timescale of planet formation remains unclear. The detection of a planet of mass 9.8 ± 3.3 MJupiter around TW Hydrae, a nearby young star with an age of only 8–10 Myr, orbiting with a period of 3.56 days is reported. This demonstrates that planets can form within 10Myr, before the disk has been dissipated by stellar winds and radiation.
- J. Setiawan
- Th. Henning
- M. Kürster