This image shows an artist's impression of the giant, ringed gas planet orbiting the star PDS 110.

(University of Warwick)

At a Glance

Scientists have determined a giant, ringed gas planet may be causing eclipses of a star more than 1,000 light years away.The possible planet may be up to 50 times larger than Jupiter.The next eclipse will occur in September.

Saturn is theplanet in our cosmic lineup known best for its rings, but researchers say a massive gas planet circled by an even wider ring of dust may be up to 50 times larger than Jupiter.

According to a recent study, from Earth. It was spotted when the researchers noticed light from the young star PDS 110 was regularly being blocked by a large object.

Researchers estimate the rings would stretch about 30 million miles across– , according to Scientific American. The scientists believe a ring system of this size could only be held in place by a large central object like the giant gas planet.

With the help of the Wide Angle Search for Planets (WASP) and the Kilodegree Extremely Little Telescope (KELT), the scientists have been observing the star’s activity for 15 years.

"We found a hint that this was an interesting object in data from the WASP survey, but it wasn’t until we found a second, almost identical eclipse in the KELT survey data that ," study lead author Hugh Osborn said in a release.

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Every two and a half years, the light from PDS 110 was reduced to 30 percent fortwo to three weeks, according to the study. Two of the most notable eclipses occurred in November 2008 and January 2011.

"What’s exciting is that during both eclipses we see the light from the star change rapidly, and that suggests that there are rings in the eclipsing object, but these rings are many times larger than the rings around Saturn," Leiden Observatory astronomer Matthew Kenworthy said in the release.

Astronomers will be able to determine if the dips in the star’s light arecaused by an orbiting planet during the next orbit in September. The star is bright enough that amateur astronomers across the globe will be able to witness it and help gather data.

"September’s eclipse will let us study the intricate structure around PDS 110 in detail for the first time, and hopefully prove that what we are seeing is a giant exoplanet and its moons in the process of formation," said Osborn.

The scientists also believe moons may be forming in the habitable zone that surrounds the star, meaning it’s possiblelife could thrive insidethe system, according to the release.

Observing the eclipses can also help the scientists determine the conditions needed to form planets and their moons at an early stage in a star’s life. This would provide a unique look into the forming processes that have occurred in our own solar system.

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