Using radio observatories in the UK and US and computer simulations, a team of astronomers have identified the youngest forming planet yet seen. Team leader Dr Jane Greaves of the University of St Andrews tells us about it.

MP3: Dr Jane Greaves Interview

Congratulations to the SuperWASP team, who today announced the discovery of ten new extrasolar planets. Most planet searches look for the wobble produced as the star is pulled first in one direction and then in another, but SuperWASP is different. The two sets of cameras - one on La Palma in the Canary Islands and one in South Africa - monitor many thousands of stars at once, looking for a dip in light as a planet passes between us and its parent star. WASP’s 10 new planets bring the total discovered by this method to 45, of which the UK-based team have been responsible for 15. Congratulations to all involved in the long and difficult road to discovering these new worlds.

The WASP instrument on La Palma. The strange design is the result of a brilliant inspiration on the part of its designers; the stars it monitors are pretty bright, so no telescope is needed. Instead, SuperWASP combines state of the art cameras with camera lenses, producing the wide field of view that’s crucial in monitoring so many stars at once.