Home
> Science/Astronomy > Never-Before-Seen Stage of Planet Birth Revealed
Never-Before-Seen Stage of Planet Birth Revealed
by Nola Taylor Redd, SPACE.com Contributor
Date: 02 January 2013 Time: 01:00 PM ET
Observations made with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope of the disc of gas and cosmic dust around the young star HD 142527, showing vast streams of gas flowing across the gap in the disc. These are the first direct observations of these streams.
CREDIT: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), S. Casassus et al.
CREDIT: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), S. Casassus et al.
Astronomers studying a newborn star have caught a detailed glimpse of planets forming around it, revealing a never-before seen stage of planetary evolution.
Large gas giant planets appear to be clearing a gap in the disk of material surrounding the star, and using gravity to channel material across the gap to the interior, helping the star to grow. Theoretical simulations have predicted such bridges between outer and inner portions of disks surrounding stars, but none have been directly observed until now.
Read more: http://www.space.com/19100-alien-planet-birth-alma-telescope.html
Categories: Science/Astronomy
astronomy, physics, planet, science, solar system, space, Technology, telescope
Comments (0)
Trackbacks (0)
Leave a comment
Trackback
Believe nothing 