Astronomers discover youngest exoplanet ever—and it's mysteriously massive

In the archived light of distant stars, astronomers have found a world that arrived too soon — a planet named Elias, the youngest ever detected, already massive beyond what our theories of cosmic birth allow. Discovered within existing Keck Observatory data, Elias still orbits inside the swirling disk of its own formation, yet carries a size that suggests planets can assemble themselves with a speed and efficiency science has not yet learned to explain. Its existence does not merely add a record to a catalogue; it asks us to reconsider the fundamental rhythms by which worlds are made.