Astronomers discover a planetary disk whose diameter is 3,300 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun

Abu Dhabi, May 19 / WAM / Astronomers have discovered that a huge planetary disk, with a diameter of about 3,300 times the distance between the Earth and the Sun, forms a stronghold for new emerging planets orbiting a young star.

A research team from the United States and Germany revealed that the disk contains enough gas and dust to form super-sized planets in distant orbits, according to what was published by Russia Today, citing the Washington Post.

The disk “IRAS 23077”, surrounding a star located 1,000 light-years away, was first observed in 2016, but recent observations by telescopes in Hawaii revealed that it is “the largest known group of planet-forming components.”

Lead author Christina Munch of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics said: “The planetary disk is so massive and carries the building blocks of planets that scientists can learn more about the birth and development of worlds outside our world.” She added that the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes were able to detect Whether the planets formed are “Jupiter-sized or larger.” Any rocky planets (like ours) are likely to be too small to be seen, and there may be larger planet-forming systems.

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