gaps in protoplanetary discs tagged posts

Tracking the Birth of a ‘Super-Earth’

The protoplanetary disk around HL Tauri, a million-year-old sunlike star located approximately 450 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Taurus, dwarfs our solar system (right). Taken by the ALMA array, this image reveals a series of concentric and bright rings, separated by gaps — features astronomers have struggled to explain until now. (Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO))

The protoplanetary disk around HL Tauri, a million-year-old sunlike star located approximately 450 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Taurus, dwarfs our solar system (right). Taken by the ALMA array, this image reveals a series of concentric and bright rings, separated by gaps — features astronomers have struggled to explain until now. (Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO))

 
‘Synthetic observations’ simulating nascent planetary systems could help explain a puzzle that has vexed astronomers for a long time...
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