In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have identified the largest planet-forming disk ever found, named IRAS 23077+6707, located nearly 1,000 light-years from Earth.
Initially detected in 2016, the true nature of this planet-forming disk remained unknown for years.
Recent research utilizing advanced telescopes has confirmed that this celestial object is the largest planet-forming disk observed to date.
A cosmic butterfly
Ciprian T. Berghea from the U.S. Naval Observatory first observed the disk using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS), noting its unique appearance, which resembled a giant cosmic butterfly.
“After discovering this potential planet-forming disk from Pan-STARRS data, we were eager to study it with the SMA, which allowed us to discern its physical nature,” said Kristina Monsch, an astrophysicist leading the Submillimeter Array (SMA) campaign, as reported by Earth.com.
The SMA, a collection of telescopes in Hawaii, can detect millimeter wavelengths crucial for understanding the composition of cosmic objects like IRAS 23077.
Protoplanetary disks act as nurseries for planets
Using the SMA, researchers found that the vast protoplanetary disk is a cloud of dust and gas where planets are born.
“What we discovered was extraordinary — evidence that this is the largest planet-forming disk ever found. It is extremely rich in dust and gas, the fundamental materials for planet formation,” Monsch explained.
Protoplanetary disks act as nurseries for planets, where giant planets like Jupiter and Saturn, as well as rocky planets like Earth and Mars, form around young stars.
These disks are abundant in dust and gas, rotating in a manner that helps astronomers determine the sizes and the masses of their central stars.
While studying IRAS 23077, astronomers gathered extensive information about this unique protoplanetary disk.
“The data from the SMA provide conclusive evidence that this is a disk, and combined with the system’s distance estimate, it is orbiting a star likely two to four times more massive than our sun,” Monsch said.
Such information is vital for understanding how planets form in such extreme environments.