{"id":778378,"date":"2024-03-06T08:39:54","date_gmt":"2024-03-06T13:39:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=778378"},"modified":"2024-03-06T08:39:54","modified_gmt":"2024-03-06T13:39:54","slug":"astronomers-discover-oceans-of-water-vapor-in-planet-forming-disc-around-young-star","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/spaceweekly.com\/?p=778378","title":{"rendered":"Astronomers discover oceans of water vapor in planet-forming disc around young star"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have discovered vast reservoirs of water vapor in the disc around HL Tauri, a young star 450 light-years away from Earth, unveiling processes that may lead to the birth of planets rich in water and redefining our search for life in the universe.<\/strong><\/p>\n

An international group of researchers unveiled findings that have profound implications for our understanding of planet formation and the potential for life elsewhere in the universe. <\/p>\n

Utilizing the powerful Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) plays a key role, scientists have detected vast quantities of water vapor within a disc surrounding a young star, specifically in regions where planets are likely taking shape.<\/p>\n

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Astronomers have found water vapor in a disc around a young star exactly where planets may be forming. In this image, the new observations from the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which ESO is a partner, show the water vapor in shades of blue. Near the center of the disc, where the young star lives, the environment is hotter and the gas brighter. The red-hued rings are previous ALMA observations showing the distribution of dust around the star. Credit: ALMA (ESO\/NAOJ\/NRAO)\/S. Facchini et al.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n
\"protoplanetary\"protoplanetary
This is the sharpest image ever taken by ALMA \u2014 sharper than is routinely achieved in visible light with the NASA\/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. It shows the protoplanetary disc surrounding the young star HL Tauri. These new ALMA observations reveal substructures within the disc that have never been seen before and even show the possible positions of planets forming in the dark patches within the system.<\/p>\n

Credit:
\nALMA (ESO\/NAOJ\/NRAO)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This discovery, led by Stefano Facchini, an astronomer at the University of Milan, Italy, and recently published in Nature Astronomy, marks the first time water distribution has been mapped in a stable, cool disc. <\/p>\n

Such discs provide the most conducive environments for planet formation around stars. Facchini expressed his astonishment at the findings, stating, \u201cI had never imagined that we could capture an image of oceans of water vapor in the same region where a planet is likely forming.\u201d<\/p>\n

The young Sun-like star, HL Tauri, located about 450 light-years away in the constellation Taurus, is at the center of the new study. <\/p>\n

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