Spitzer: Debris Disk Could Be Forming Terrestrial Planets

01101001 · #1 (**permalink**) 14-December-2005, 10:26 PM

Spitzer Team Says Debris Disk Could Be Forming Infant Terrestrial Planets

Quote:

Astronomers have found a debris disk around a sun-like star that may be forming or has formed its terrestrial planets. The disk -- a probable analog to our asteroid belt -- may have begun a solar-system-scale demolition derby, where the rocky remains of failed planets collide chaotically.
[...]
"The target is essentially a star similar to our sun, seen at a time when the terrestrial planets in our solar system were thought to have formed," Hines said. "We see evidence that this star might have an asteroid belt, roughly at the distance Jupiter is from our sun."
[...]
The star, named HD 12039, is about 30 million years old, or the age of the sun when the terrestrial planets are thought to have been 80 percent complete and the Earth-moon system formed, the astronomers said. It is roughly 137 light years away, or the distance light travels in 137 years.
[...]
"What's curious about this disk is that there's little if any dust inside four AU and beyond six AU. It's a narrowly confined ring that could be similar in some ways to the outer rings we see around Saturn," Meyer said.
[...]
"We could be witnessing a common, short-lived event through which all systems pass, or we could be seeing a rare example of a massive warm debris disk surrounding an unusual, sun-like star," Meyer said.

George · #2 (**permalink**) 17-December-2005, 03:08 AM

Very nice, indeed. This is the latest news in the BA's blog.

I am curious if this is mostly dust, and little gas.

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