December 12, 2008

New Research About Planet Formation










Image 1: A Spitzer Space Telescope view of the Orion nebula, our closest massive star-making factory. The nebula is close enough to appear to the naked eye as a fuzzy star in the sword of the popular hunter constellation. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/ T. Megeath (University of Toledo).

Image 2: A sequence of images showing how turbulent forces (the Coriolis Effect and vertical shear) mix up the layers of dust and gas orbiting young stars. Images depict a 2-d slice through Joseph Barranco's 3-d simulations. Deep red indicates dust-rich gas. Deep blue indicates pure gas. The simulation is based on dust and gas that is the same distance away from its star as earth is from the sun. The time interval between frames is 3.4 years. Credit: Joseph Barranco


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