New images could unlock the mysteries of how giant planets are born
A composite image made from observations by different telescopes supports theories of how planets as big as Jupiter form.
Five thousand light-years away in the Monoceros constellation, strange materials are swirling around a young star known as V960 Mon.
Astronomers were baffled when the star’s brightness rapidly increased by over 20 times back in 2014. Now, observations published inThe Astrophysical Journal Lettershave helped to explain the secrets behind these events in fascinating detail.
New images reveal large, dusty ‘clumps’ as large as planets gathering around the star. If these collapse,they could form giant planets as massive as Jupiter.
“This discovery is truly captivating,” saidDr Alice Zurloof the Universidad Diego Portales, Chile, a researcher involved in the observations.
欧盟公布的图片,ropean Southern Observatory (ESO), show that the material orbiting the star is assembling into spiral ‘arms’ that extend over distances bigger than our entire Solar System.
These formations were detected using the creatively named Very Large Telescope (VLT) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), which probe around the surface of the spiral arms as well as deep into their intricate structures.
The observations could help astronomers learn more about the secrets behind the formation of large planets. Currently there are two theories as to how this happens.
The first is called core accretion, which is essentially when dust grains join together. The second is gravitational instability, which involves large material around a star contracting and collapsing into a planet. The clumps around V960 Mon could provide evidence of this second theory, which so far has had limited support.
“Our group has been searching for signs of how planets form for over ten years, and we couldn't be more thrilled about this incredible discovery,” saidSebastián Pérez, one of the researchers from the University of Santiago, Chile.
As if the Very Large Telescope wasn’t enough, the ESO is currently building an Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) in the Atacama Desert in Chile. This will allow the astronomers to observe the system in even greater detail, including the chemical compositions of the forming planets.
More like this
Read more:
Authors
Noa Leach is the News editor at BBC Science Focus. With an MPhil degree in Criticism & Culture from the University of Cambridge, Noa has studied cultural responses to the climate crisis, wildlife, and toxicity. Before joining BBC Science Focus, Noa was the Editor of The Wildlife Trust BCN’s magazine Local Wildlife. Her writing has been shortlisted for the Future Places Environmental Essay Prize.
Sponsored Deals
Summer Sale
- Try 3 issues for just £5 when you subscribe to BBC Science Focus Magazine.
- Risk - free offer! Cancel at any time when you subscribe via Direct Debit.
- FREE UK delivery.
- Stay up to date with the latest developments in the worlds of science and technology.