But instead of searching for a planet’s direct light, astronomers used ALMA to identify the effects of potential planetary subjects on their cosmic surroundings. Artistic impression of a protoplanetary disk with forming planets that redistribute the gas and dust around them. They then applied these methods to massive datasets collected by ALMA from 15 young star systems in order to identify potential protoplanet hotspots. Clues that pointed astronomers to these locations included swirling gas influenced by an early planet’s gravity, as well as rings and gaps of dust inside dust disks. The survey also clearly showed protoplanetary disks are home to highly dynamic environments that result in complex relationships between galactic dust and gas.