Footprints of Forming Planets Spotted Around Young Star (Photo)
Footprints of Forming Planets Spotted Around Young Star (Photo)
By Mike Wall 12 hours ago
ALMA image of the dusty disk around the young star DM Tau. Two concentric rings, where planets may be forming, are visible.(Image: © ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Kudo et al.)
A solar system similar to our own may be taking shape in the Taurus constellation.
The young star DM Tau, which lies about 470 light-years from Earth, was already known to host a ring of dust where planets are likely forming. But recent observations by the powerful Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile show there's considerably more to the story.
"Some studies suggested the radius of the ring is about where [our] solar system's asteroid belt would be. Other observations put the size out where Neptune would be," Tomoyuki Kudo, an astronomer at the National Astronomical Observatory of Japan, said in a statement.
"Our ALMA observations provided a clear answer: Both are right," added Kudo, the lead author of a recent study reporting the results. "DM Tau has two rings, one at each location."
More:
https://www.space.com/alien-planet-birth-dust-rings-alma-photos.html?utm_source=notification
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