{"id":26557,"date":"2024-03-05T08:00:37","date_gmt":"2024-03-05T13:00:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26557"},"modified":"2024-03-04T14:45:40","modified_gmt":"2024-03-04T19:45:40","slug":"eso-survey-of-exoplanet-star-systems-sheds-light-on-planet-formation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hobbyspace.com\/Blog\/?p=26557","title":{"rendered":"ESO: Survey of exoplanet star systems sheds light on planet formation"},"content":{"rendered":"

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

Groundbreaking survey reveals secrets of planet birth
\naround dozens of stars<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
This research brings together observations of more than 80 young stars that might have planets forming around them in spectacular discs. This small selection from the survey shows 10 discs from the three regions of our galaxy observed in the papers. V351 Ori and V1012 Ori are located in the most distant of the three regions, the gas-rich cloud of Orion, some 1600 light-years from Earth. DG Tau, T Tau, HP Tau, MWC758 and\u00a0GM Aur are located in the Taurus region, while HD 97048, WW Cha and SZ Cha can be found in Chamaeleon I, all of which are about 600 light-years from Earth. The images shown here were captured using the Spectro-Polarimetric High-contrast Exoplanet REsearch (SPHERE) instrument mounted on ESO\u2019s Very Large Telescope (VLT). SPHERE\u2019s state-of-the-art extreme adaptive optics system corrects for the turbulent effects of Earth\u2019s atmosphere, yielding crisp images of the discs around stars. The stars themselves have been covered with a coronagraph \u2014 a circular mask that blocks their intense glare, revealing the faint discs around them. The discs have been scaled to appear roughly the same size in this composition.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In a series of studies, a team of astronomers has shed new light on the fascinating and complex process of planet formation. The stunning images, captured using the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (ESO\u2019s VLT) in Chile, represent one of the largest ever surveys of planet-forming discs. The research brings together observations of more than 80 young stars that might have planets forming around them, providing astronomers with a wealth of data and unique insights into how planets arise in different regions of our galaxy.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really a shift in our field of study<\/em>,\u201d<\/p>\n

says Christian Ginski, a lecturer at the University of Galway, Ireland, and lead author of one of three new papers published today in Astronomy & Astrophysics<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve gone from the intense study of individual star systems to this huge overview of entire star-forming regions.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

To date more than 5000 planets have been discovered orbiting stars other than the Sun, often within systems markedly different from our own Solar System. To understand where and how this diversity arises, astronomers must observe the dust- and gas-rich discs that envelop young stars \u2014 the very cradles of planet formation. These are best found in huge gas clouds where the stars themselves are forming.<\/p>\n