ALMA Sheds Light on Planet-Forming Gas Streams

[tonybaldwin]

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) telescope have seen a key stage in the birth of giant planets for the first time. Vast streams of gas are flowing across a gap in the disc of material around a young star. These are the first direct observations of such streams, which are expected to be created by giant planets guzzling gas as they grow. The result is published on 2 January 2013 in the journal Nature.

read more: http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso1301/

#astronomy #astrophysics #stars #planets
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