A disc around a massive baby star (artist's impression)
Artist's impression of a dusty disc closely encircling a massive baby star. Astronomers have been able to obtain the first image of such a disc, providing direct evidence that massive stars do form in the same way as their smaller brethren — and closing an enduring debate.The flared disc extends to about 130 times the Earth–Sun distance — or astronomical units (AU) — and has a mass similar to that of the star, roughly twenty times the Sun. In addition, the inner parts of the disc are shown to be devoid of dust.
Credit:ESO/L. Calçada/M. Kornmesser
About the Image
Id: | eso1029a |
Type: | Artwork |
Release date: | 14 July 2010, 19:00 |
Related releases: | eso1029 |
Size: | 4000 x 2666 px |
About the Object
Name: | Protoplanetary disc |
Type: | Milky Way : Star : Circumstellar Material : Disk : Protoplanetary |
Category: | Illustrations Stars |