As stars grow, they create a swirling disk of dust and gas around them, which can eventually form planets. Recently, astronomers made an exciting discovery about IRAS 23077+6707, the largest protoplanetary disk ever observed.
Located about 1,000 light-years away, this disk is massive—about 644 billion kilometers in diameter. That’s over 100 times the distance between the Sun and Pluto! Interestingly, it has the nickname “Dracula’s Chivito,” inspired by a famous vampire from Transylvania and a hearty sandwich from Uruguay.
NASA’s researchers, using new images from the Hubble telescope, have revealed that this disk is quite chaotic. The findings show unusual features that challenge what we thought we knew about protoplanetary disks. For example, the material stretches much farther out than expected and the disk itself is uneven. One side has lots of gas and dust, while the other side is much clearer.
Kristina Monsch, an astrophysicist from the Center for Astrophysics, highlights that the level of detail captured here is rare. She notes that both the Hubble and the James Webb Space Telescope have seen similar structures before, but IRAS 23077+6707 offers a new and richer view for understanding planet formation.
It’s still unclear what causes the disk’s strange shapes. Researchers suggest that interactions with gas, winds from the star, or even the motion of the system itself may play a role. Monsch mentions that we’re seeing the disk nearly edge-on, which makes its peculiar layers and features very noticeable.
This disk potentially holds enough materials to create 10 to 30 Jupiter-sized planets, making it a fascinating site for studying the birth of planets in such extreme conditions. Although planet formation usually takes millions of years, astronomers can observe snapshots of this process much more quickly.
Joshua Bennett Lovell, another astrophysicist, emphasizes how Hubble provides unique insights into the complex dynamics at play. The team looks forward to further observations to piece together more about this intriguing protoplanetary disk.
The research was published in The Astrophysical Journal. For more detailed insights, check out NASA’s original article.
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