How exactly planets form is one of the major questions in our field. However there are some key
mechanisms that we think can speed up the process of planet formation. For the first time, we have found direct kinematic evidence of gravitational instability in the Elias 2-27 system. Teresa Paneque-Carreno, researcher
It was previously known that planets form in protoplanetary disks around young stars, but the necessary conditions for a planet to appear remained a mystery to scientists.
The authors of the new work observed youngstar Elias 2-27: it is located at a distance of 400 light years from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus. Based on data on the speed of the star's gas, the researchers calculated the mass of its protoplanetary disk.
In addition, they discovered gravitational instability in the Elias 2-27 system, arising from the fact that a significant part of the system's mass falls on the disk matter.
Even during the early observations of Elias 2-27Scientists drew attention to a dust disk with a spiral structure rotating around the star. The researchers decided that the spirals were the result of uneven density. Such spiral arms have previously been observed in galaxies such as the Milky Way, but never before around individual stars.
Based on the results of the new work, the authors argue that such instability, as well as vertical asymmetry in the protoplanetary disk and velocity disturbances, indicate the beginning of planet formation.
Read more:
Damage to the skin, brain and eyes: how COVID-19 enters human organs
It turned out that huge cosmic filaments in the Universe rotate like drills
Scientists have found out who is at risk of re-contracting COVID-19 and when