Most Planets Might Have More than 5 Myr of Time to Form

The lifetime of protoplanetary disks is a crucial parameter for planet formation research. Observations of disk fractions in star clusters imply median disk lifetimes of 1–3 Myr. This very short disk lifetime calls for planet formation to occur extremely rapidly. We show that young, distant clusters (≤5 Myr, >200 pc) often dominate these types of studies. Such clusters frequently suffer from limiting magnitudes leading to an over-representation of high-mass stars. As high-mass stars disperse their disks earlier, the derived disk lifetimes apply best to high-mass stars rather than low-mass stars. Including only nearby clusters (<200 pc) minimizes the effect of limiting magnitude. In this case, the median disk lifetime of low-mass stars is with 5–10 Myr, thus much longer than often claimed. The longer timescales provide planets ample time to form. How high-mass stars form planets so much faster than low-mass stars is the next grand challenge.