Astronomers confirm youngest known exoplanet Elias 2-24 b — Live Science
Astronomers have confirmed the existence of the exoplanet Elias 2-24 b, which is likely less than 1 million years old. It orbits a young star about 450 light-years from Earth and is the youngest among the exoplanets known to date, Live Science reports.
Planet in a protoplanetary disk
The mass of Elias 2-24 b is estimated at two to four Jupiter masses. It is located almost twice as far from its star as Neptune is from the Sun. Astronomers noticed the first indirect signs of the object in 2017, when they discovered a small gap in the star's protoplanetary disk.
A protoplanetary disk consists of gas, dust and other material left over after a star forms. The detected gap indicated that a planet could have formed in this region, but it could not be observed directly at the time.
In a study published on September 16, 2026, in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, scientists combined data from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii, the ALMA complex in Chile and the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile. This made it possible to observe Elias 2-24 b directly, confirm its existence and estimate its age.
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A rare stage of formation
The study's first author, Andrea Bernardi, a doctoral student at the Institute for Astrophysical Studies of Diego Portales University in Chile, noted that the planet is still actively accumulating material from its surroundings. According to her, this makes it possible to observe a stage of planet formation that is rarely studied directly.
Previously, the youngest known exoplanets were considered to be objects about 5 million years old, including planets near the star PDS 70. In 2024, astronomers reported TIDYE-1b, approximately 3 million years old, and in 2025, AB Aurigae b, whose age may be about 2 million years. Elias 2-24 b is at least twice as young as the previous record holders.
Most of the more than 6,000 known exoplanets were discovered using the transit method — through a brief decrease in a star's brightness when a planet passes in front of it. This method has limitations for planets inside protoplanetary disks: when observed from the side, the disk's material constantly weakens the star's light. Researchers believe the new object will help test models of the early stages of planet formation.
