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Cosmic Discovery: Astronomers Confirm Elias 2-24 b as the Youngest Known Exoplanet

Astronomers using data from W. M. Keck Observatory have confirmed the discovery of Elias 2-24 b, the youngest known exoplanet at under one million years old.

Nilakshi Barman | | 2 min read

Cosmic Discovery: Astronomers Confirm Elias 2-24 b as the Youngest Known Exoplanet
Artist’s concept depicting Elias 2-24 b, the youngest exoplanet detected to date, still growing within the disk of gas and dust surrounding its young host star. (Image credit: W. M. Keck Observatory/Adam Makarenko)

In Brief:

  1. Astronomers have officially confirmed Elias 2-24 b as the youngest known exoplanet, estimated to be less than one million years old.
  2. Located roughly 450 light-years away from Earth, the exoplanet has a mass comparable to Jupiter and is actively gathering material from its surrounding protoplanetary disk.
  3. The discovery was verified by analyzing observational data collected by the Keck Observatory in Hawaii across 2018 and 2020.

In a major breakthrough for planetary science, researchers analyzing observational data from the W. M. Keck Observatory have confirmed the discovery of Elias 2-24 b, officially establishing it as the youngest exoplanet ever identified. Less than one million years old, this infant world is roughly as massive as Jupiter and orbits a star located approximately 450 light-years away from Earth. Utilizing detailed observations recorded in 2018 and 2020, astronomers verified that the planet is actively accumulating material from its surrounding circumstellar disk, providing an unprecedented view into the earliest stages of planetary formation.

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