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First Direct Observation of a Nearby Protoplanet
This image from the NACO system on ESO’s Very Large Telescope shows a candidate protoplanet in the disc of gas and dust around the young star HD100546. Credit: ESO.
Astronomers have taken what is likely the first-ever direct image of a planet that is still undergoing its formation, embedded in its “womb” of gas and dust. The protoplanet, about the size of Jupiter, is in the disc surrounding a young star, HD 100546, located 335 light-years from Earth.
If this discovery is confirmed, astronomers say this it will greatly improve our understanding of how planets form and allow astronomers to test the current theories against an observable target.
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Read the rest of First Direct Observation of a Nearby Protoplanet (551 words)
© nancy for Universe Today, 2013. |
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Post tags: ESO, Extrasolar Planets, protoplanets
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2013-02-28 10:18:41
Source: http://www.universetoday.com/100366/first-direct-observation-of-a-nearby-protoplanet/
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