Astronomers Catch a Glimpse of Our Solar System's Baby Photos

Astronomers may have just received a peak at what the solar system was like in its infancy. They've discovered two dust belts surrounded by a large dust halo around a young star, called HD 95086, which may actually be the spitting image of what our own solar system was like when it first began.

The star itself has two dust belts, which is analogous to the asteroid and Kuiper belts in our solar system. These are surrounded by a large dust halo that only young planetary systems possess. Similar dust structures can be found around another, slightly older star called HR 8799, where four massive planets occupy the large gap between the two belts. Yet this slightly older star seems to represent an intermediary between our own solar system and the younger one in terms of age and evolution.

"We think HD 95086 is a snapshot of what our solar system might have looked like when it was only 10 million to 20 million years old," said Kate Su, lead author of the new paper, in a news release. "The HD 95086 system, with its young star hosting at least one planet of about five Jupiter masses along with massive asteroid and Kuiper-like debris belts, is a promising target for planet hunting."

The fact that the researchers have discovered these two systems means that they can now examine what our solar system might have been like throughout the course of its history. Both of the systems have a vast halo of fine dust, which suggests enhanced collisional activities in their Kuiper-belt-like belts. This is expected for systems that are experiencing dynamical settling of gas giants and possibly late formation of giant ice planets.

"Both systems are very similar, except the HD 95086 has more dust, which is in line with theories of planet formation and leads us to believe it is the younger of the two," said Su. "By looking at other systems like these, we can piece together how our solar system came to be."

The findings were presented at the Division for Planetary Science Meeting of the American Astronomical Society in Tucson, Arizona.