I saw this: Planet formation captured in photo. in the news the other day and the implications are staggering. Scientists at the Alma radio telescope have captured this image of a new planetary system around HL Tau in its early formation.
Now we can do more than just infer the existence of other solar systems from doppler shifts and transit dimming. We have the ability to "see" (albeit with radio) details including extra-solar planetary systems. Of course, I'm not so silly to think that we could see fully formed solar systems (yet), but the idea of being able to see the formation stages of a planetary system is exciting.
