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Circumstellar Disk Around Beta Pictoris

Circumstellar Disk Around Beta Pictoris


Depicts: Beta Pictoris, IRAS 05460-5104
Copyright: A. Schultz (Computer Sciences Corp.), S. Heap (NASA Goddard Space FlightCenter) and NASA

These two Hubble Space Telescope visible-light views of the edge- on disk of dust around the star Beta Pictoris yield telltale evidence for the existence of planets, and possibly the gravitational tug of a companion brown dwarf or bypassing star. Both views reveal warps in the disk that might be caused by the gravitational pull of one or more unseen companions. Since its discovery, Beta Pictoris has long been considered one of the nearest examples of an extrasolar planetary system still forming.
Last Update: 1 September 2019
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19-Apr-2024 20:33 UT

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