Artist’s Illustration of Cloudy Disk Orbiting Distant Star (IMAGE)
Caption
This artist’s illustration shows a large disk of planetary debris, surrounded by a thick cloud of dust and gas, passing in front of a star. A team of astronomers used the Gemini High-resolution Optical Spectrograph (GHOST) on the Gemini South telescope, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, partly funded by the U.S. National Science Foundation and operated by NSF NOIRLab, to measure the motion of the gas within the cloud. This is the first time astronomers have measured the internal gas motions of a disk orbiting a secondary object such as a planet or low-mass star. The finding offers a rare glimpse into the chaotic and dynamic processes still shaping planetary systems long after their formation.
Credit
International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/P. Marenfeld & M. Zamani
Usage Restrictions
Credit must be given to the creator.
License
CC BY