{"id":26541,"date":"2024-02-29T11:00:30","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26541"},"modified":"2024-02-28T16:53:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-28T21:53:07","slug":"eso-water-vapor-observed-in-planet-formation-disc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26541","title":{"rendered":"ESO: Water vapor observed in planet formation disc"},"content":{"rendered":"

Another report from the European Southern Observatory (ESO<\/a>):<\/p>\n

Astronomers reveal a new link
\nbetween water and planet formation<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Astronomers have found water vapour 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 vapour in shades of blue. Near the centre 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.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Researchers have found water vapour in the disc around a young star exactly where planets may be forming. Water is a key ingredient for life on Earth, and is also thought to play a significant role in planet formation. Yet, until now, we had never been able to map how water is distributed in a stable, cool disc \u2014 the type of disc that offers the most favourable conditions for planets to form around stars. The new findings were made possible thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner.<\/p>\n

\u201cI had never imagined that we could capture an image of oceans of water vapour in the same region where a planet is likely forming<\/em>,\u201d<\/p>\n

says Stefano Facchini, an astronomer at the University of Milan, Italy, who led the study published today in Nature Astronomy<\/em>. The observations reveal at least three times as much water as in all of Earth\u2019s oceans in the inner disc of the young Sun-like star HL Tauri, located 450 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Taurus.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is truly remarkable that we can not only detect but also capture detailed images and spatially resolve water vapour at a distance of 450 light-years from us ,<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

adds co-author Leonardo Testi, an astronomer at the University of Bologna, Italy. The \u2018spatially resolved\u2019 observations with ALMA allow astronomers to determine the distribution of water in different regions of the disc.<\/p>\n

\u201cTaking part in such an important discovery in the iconic HL Tauri disc was beyond what I had ever expected for my first research experience in astronomy<\/em>,\u201d<\/p>\n

adds Mathieu Vander Donckt from the University of Lie\u0300ge, Belgium, who was a master\u2019s student when he participated in the research.<\/p>\n