protoplanetary disck Archives

Illustration - Some of the most striking images from the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) show young stars surrounded by vast disks of gas and dust with complex patterns of rings and grooves. These structures can trap solid material and indicate the locations where planets begin to form. Larger image

ALMA Reveals Planetary Formation Structures In Small Disks

by Keith CowingOctober 15, 2026October 15, 2026

[ALMA] Thanks to the extraordinary sharpness of ALMA’s images, a research team has discovered rings, grooves, and cavities in extremely compact disks surrounding young stars.

Composite images of PDS 70 in pseudo color. The left panel shows previous ALMA observations at 0.87 mm, and the right panel shows new ALMA observations at 3 mm. The composite image combines millimeter/submillimeter continuum images with ALMA (red), an infrared continuum image from W. M. Keck Observatory (green), and an optical image of a hydrogen emission line taken with the VLT (blue). The images show that the dust emissions observed with ALMA form a ring-like structure outside the planets detected by Keck and the VLT. At a wavelength of 3 mm, the dust emission can be seen prominently concentrated in the northwest direction (upper right of the image). Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), W. M. Keck Observatory, VLT (ESO), K. Doi (MPIA)

Astrochemistry, Astrogeology, Astronomy & Telescopes, Exoplanets, -moons, -comets, Interstellar, Press Release, Stellar Cartography

ALMA Reveals the Birthplace of a Planetary System

by Keith CowingDecember 14, 2024December 14, 2024

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has successfully observed a site of planet formation by detecting a high concentration of dust grains, a planet-forming material, outside the orbits of just-formed […]