Astronomers Discover Unexpected Structures In Youngest Planetary Disks Ever Seen

Astronomers Discover Unexpected Structures In Youngest Planetary Disks Ever Seen
SPACE
11 January 2024

By EVAN GOUGH, UNIVERSE TODAY



ALMA image showing the protoplanetary disc surrounding the young star HL Tauri. (ESO/ALMA)

How long does planet formation take? Maybe not as long as we thought, according to new research.

Observations with the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) show that planet formation around young stars may begin much earlier than scientists thought.

These new results were presented at the American Astronomical Society's 243rd Meeting. Cheng-Han Hsieh, a Ph.D. candidate at Yale, presented the new observations.

"ALMA's early observations of young protoplanetary disks have revealed many beautiful rings and gaps, possible formation sites of planets," he said. "I wondered when these rings and gaps started to appear in the disks."

Hsieh is referring to the well-known ALMA images of protoplanetary disks that have been making news for a few years now. These images show the protoplanetary disks around young stars with gaps that scientists think are where planets are forming.

More:
https://www.sciencealert.com/astronomers-discover-unexpected-structures-in-youngest-planetary-disks-ever-seen