See a young star potentially giving birth to a giant planet in new image from Very Large Telescope

An image of an eye-shaped disk surrounding the young star, 2MASSJ1612. The disk has a dark ring and arms emanating from its center, suggesting a new planet is forming in the star's orbit. .

Researchers have captured a mesmerizing image of what they believe to be a giant planet forming in the orbit of a young star, according to a new study.

The image, taken with the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile, shows the star surrounded by an eye-shaped disk of swirling gas and dust. A dark ring within the disk suggests that the gravity of a newborn planet, likely a gas giant, is accumulating material as it carves a path around the star.