Science
June 1, 2015

Astronomers Discover a Young Solar System Around a Nearby Star

An international team led by Thayne Currie of the Subaru Telescope and using the Gemini South telescope, has discovered a young planetary system that shares remarkable similarities to our own early solar system. Their images reveal a ring-line disk of debris surrounding a Sun-line star, in a birth environment similar to the Sun’s. The disk appears to be sculpted by at least one unseen solar system-like planet, is roughly the same size as our solar system’s Kuiper Belt, and may contain dust and icy particles. This work provides a valuable key to understanding the early formation of the Sun and planets.

Figure 1: Image of HD 115600 — Figure. Image of HD 115600 showing a bright debris ring viewed nearly edge-on and located just beyound a Pluto-like distance to its star. One or more unseen solar system-like planets are causing the disk center to be offset from the star’s position (cross). Original size (54KB). (Credit: Thayne Currie/NAOJ)

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