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Mit dem Atacama Large Millimeter Array ALMA wurden ja unlängst erstmals protoplanetare Gas/Staubscheiben am jungen Stern HL Tauri nachgewiesen. Nun wurde so etwas auch bei einem Doppelstern gefunden, wobei die protoplanetare Scheibe aber nicht in der Bahnebene des Doppelsterns, sondern senkrecht dazu liegt:
circumbinary protoplanetary disk in a polar configuration
Here, we report the first discovery of a protoplanetary circumbinary disk in the polar configuration, supporting the predictions that such disks should exist.
Double star system flips planet-forming disk into pole position
Dr. Kennedy and his fellow researchers used ALMA to pin down the orientation of the ring of gas and dust in the system. The orbit of the binary was previously known, from observations that quantified how the stars move in relation to each other. By combining these two pieces of information they were able to establish that the dust ring was consistent with a perfectly polar orbit.
"Planet formation can at least get started in these polar circumbinary disks. If the rest of the planet formation process can happen, there might be a whole population of misaligned circumbinary planets that we have yet to discover, and things like weird seasonal variations to consider."
"Incredibly, two more stars were seen orbiting that disk. So if planets were born here there would be four suns in the sky!
Image Credit: University of Warwick/Mark Garlick
(1) Artist's impression of a view of the double star system and surrounding disc:
(2) Artist's impression of the view from an orbiting planet:
circumbinary protoplanetary disk in a polar configuration
Here, we report the first discovery of a protoplanetary circumbinary disk in the polar configuration, supporting the predictions that such disks should exist.
Double star system flips planet-forming disk into pole position
Dr. Kennedy and his fellow researchers used ALMA to pin down the orientation of the ring of gas and dust in the system. The orbit of the binary was previously known, from observations that quantified how the stars move in relation to each other. By combining these two pieces of information they were able to establish that the dust ring was consistent with a perfectly polar orbit.
"Planet formation can at least get started in these polar circumbinary disks. If the rest of the planet formation process can happen, there might be a whole population of misaligned circumbinary planets that we have yet to discover, and things like weird seasonal variations to consider."
"Incredibly, two more stars were seen orbiting that disk. So if planets were born here there would be four suns in the sky!
Image Credit: University of Warwick/Mark Garlick
(1) Artist's impression of a view of the double star system and surrounding disc:
(2) Artist's impression of the view from an orbiting planet:
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