Never-Before-Seen Stage of Planet Birth Revealed

SPACE.com ^ | 02 January 2013 Time: 01:00 PM ET | Nola Taylor Redd,

[BenLurkin]

Astronomers studying a newborn star have caught a detailed glimpse of planets forming around it, revealing a never-before seen stage of planetary evolution.

Large gas giant planets appear to be clearing a gap in the disk of material surrounding the star, and using gravity to channel material across the gap to the interior, helping the star to grow. Theoretical simulations have predicted such bridges between outer and inner portions of disks surrounding stars, but none have been directly observed until now.

[BenLurkin]

Cool pic at the link. View "full size"

[Squawk 8888]

APod bonus.

[Lazamataz]

Looks like the Eye of Sauron

[Mmogamer]

The mote in God’s eye?

[zeugma]

I’m thinking Bozo the Clown, or Ronald McDonald...

[1_Rain_Drop]

Hillary’s clot

[lowbridge]

Hey, God, we caught you in the act! :)

[OldNavyVet]

The following are the identical closing words from Darwin’s “Origin of the Species” and that book’s modern update … Steve Jones “Darwin’s Ghost.”

There is grandeur in this view of life, with its several powers, having been originally breathed into a few forms or into one, and that, whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved.

[central_va]

Gas giant.

[Toespi]

She has a yellow hue to her skin......she would be a perfect candidate for hepatitis.

[aMorePerfectUnion]

Ah, they grow up so quickly. Today born, tomorrow crawling, the next day college!

[KoRn]

Very cool to see a pic of a developing Solar System. Wish we could get closer, more detailed looks at it!

[SunkenCiv]

Thanks KoRn!

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[SunkenCiv]

Nice pic, and good idea, thanks Squawk 8888!