Photo credit: ESO

Scientists have managed to use ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) to capture the first confirmed image of a planet caught in the act of forming in the dusty disc surrounding a young star. This planet is carving a path through the primordial disc of gas and dust around the very young star PDS 70, which suggests that the planet’s atmosphere is cloudy. “These discs around young stars are the birthplaces of planets, but so far only a handful of observations have detected hints of baby planets in them. The problem is that until now, most of these planet candidates could just have been features in the disc,” said Miriam Keppler, who lead the team behind the discovery of PDS 70’s still-forming planet. Click here for the first image in today’s viral picture gallery. Continue reading for the five most popular viral videos today, including one of the ultimate Hot Wheels GoPro challenge.