Artist's Impression of Beta Pictoris (IMAGE) ESO Caption This artist's concept illustrates the preferred model for explaining Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of Beta Pictoris. The new observations from Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array now show that the disc around the star is permeated by carbon monoxide gas. The presence of carbon monoxide could indicate that the Beta Pictoris planetary system may eventually become a good habitat for life. At the outer fringes of the system, the gravitational influence of a hypothetical giant planet (bottom left) captures comets into a dense, massive swarm (right) where frequent collisions occur. Credit NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center/Francis Reddy Usage Restrictions None License Licensed content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.