Migrating Baby Exoplanet Sculpts Disk Around Newborn Star (Photos)

[Judi Lynn]

By Mike Wall 16 hours ago Science & Astronomy

A newborn mini-Neptune has an artistic streak.



ALMA observation of the young star system HD 169142, which shows an outer region composed
of thin rings and a double gap. These fine structures had never been seen before in the outer
parts of a disk with a deep chasm that severs the protoplanetary environment into inner and
outer regions. (Image: © N. Lira – ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO); S. Pérez – USACH/UChile)


A newborn exoplanet is apparently on the move.

Astronomers have spotted intricate ring structures in the outer portion of the disk of dust and gas that surrounds the young star HD 169142, which lies about 370 light-years from Earth in the constellation Sagittarius.

These rings were likely sculpted by a migrating baby planet about 10 times more massive than Earth, the researchers report in a new study.

The scientists studied HD 169142 using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), a network of radio telescopes in northern Chile. ALMA has observed many newborn star systems over the past few years, finding gaps and rings in the protoplanetary disks of pretty much all of them. Such structures are carved out by the planets coalescing there, most astronomers believe.

More:
https://www.space.com/migrating-baby-exoplanet-rings-alma-photos.html?utm_source=notification

[Bayard]

1. Very cool!

[cstanleytech]

2. Things like this make me wish we had the ability right now to travel to distant star systems

to explore them.