These images clearly capture the protoplanetary disk around the young star HD 142527 in the constellation Lupus. This could be a site of planet formation. In these images which looked at the star in infrared, the dust, which becomes the material for planets, emits light on a scale of a few hundred astronomical units. When seen at different wavelengths, the luminosities vary for the asymmetric structures and the gap visible in the interior. Both are important information for determining the evolution of the protoplanetary disk and the presence/absences of planets. In particular, these peculiar disk structures suggest that an additional object may exist inside the disk and that its gravitational influence is causing these structures. These images obtained by the Subaru Telescope become clues for the many researchers working even now to solve the mysteries of this object and will help to connect to recent observations by ALMA.

Text by: Hideaki Fujiwara (Subaru Telescope)
Translation by: Ramsey Lundock (NAOJ)