Press ReleaseAstronomers witness newborn planet sculpting the dust around itAstronomers may have caught a still-forming planet in action, carving out an intricate pattern in the gas and dust that surrounds its young host star. This is the first time astronomers have detected a planet candidate embedded inside a disc spiral. The potential planet-in-the-making was detected around the star HD 135344B, within a disc of gas and dust around it called a protoplanetary disc. It has been observed shaping its surroundings within the protoplanetary disc as it grows into a fully formed planet. The European Southern Observatory (ESO) enables scientists worldwide to discover the secrets of the Universe for the benefit of all.