We Might Be Wrong About Planet Formation

The video discusses a significant exoplanet discovery by a US-Japanese team, highlighting the direct imaging of a young exoplanet, AB Aurigae b, which is still forming. The discovery challenges existing planet formation theories, particularly core accretion, and supports the disk instability model. The video details the observational techniques used, including the Hubble and Subaru telescopes, and the implications of the findings for understanding planet formation.

What is significant about the exoplanet discovered by the US-Japanese team in 2022?

How does the age of the star AB or Riga compare to our sun?

What challenges did the team face in imaging the young exoplanet?

What are the implications of discovering a gas giant so far from its host star?

Explain the core accretion theory and its challenges in the context of gas giant formation.

What is the disk instability theory and how does it differ from core accretion?

Discuss the significance of the findings from the computer simulation of the disk instability model.