An international team of researchers has captured the first moments of a planet being born. Located 1,300 light-years from Earth, astronomers observed dust and gas coalescing into solid structures known as protoplanetary discs—the cradles where new planets form. In this Michigan News research spotlight, Edwin Bergin, co-author of the study and a U-M professor of astronomy, explains what the team observed and how their findings shed light on the early history of our own solar system.