A team of astrophysicists led by the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics has discovered
An enlarged image of the region surrounding the two protostars (marked with asterisks), hot regions not associated with protostars are marked with crosses. Image: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO)/Maureira et al.
The star system IRAS 16293-2422 consists of twoyoung stars, the mass of which is comparable to the sun. The scientists used the ALMA radio observatory in Chile to study the system at maximum resolution. The researchers took detailed images of the center of the future planetary system and found that areas of hot dust do not correlate with the position of young stars.
Surprisingly, we found localized hot spots, or "hot spots," likely caused by local gas shocks similar to aircraft sonic booms.
Maria José Moreira, head of research at the Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics of the Max Planck Society
ALMA observational data at different wavelengths. Image: María José Maureira et al., Astrophysical Journal Letters
Such collisions can change the chemicalthe composition of gas and dust clouds, releasing individual molecules frozen in the ice particles of the protoplanetary disk, scientists explain. The interaction of such molecules in the future leads to the formation of more complex structures, including organic ones, necessary for the origin of life. Thus, the collision of gas particles can change the chemical composition of matter and its quantity, and hence the properties of the resulting planetary systems, the researchers conclude.
IRAS 16293-2422 is located at a distanceabout 450 light years from Earth. Although it consists of two solar-mass stars, it is otherwise similar in properties to our solar system and can be used as a laboratory for observations, scientists say. Glycolaldehyde, a simple form of sugar, has previously been found in the gas that surrounds stars. This was the first time that sugars were found in solar-type stars.
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On the cover: Artistic illustration of a binary star with a planet. Image: International Gemini Observatory/NOIRLab/NSF/AURA/J. da Silva (Spaceengine)