A collaborative team of astronomers from the United States and Germany has identified a young star about 1,000 light-years away that hosts the largest known protoplanetary disk. The discovery appears in the scientific record of Astrophysics Journal Letters.
Protoplanetary disks are vast rings of dust and gas surrounding newborn stars. Over time, gravity helps these materials gather and condense, setting the stage for planet formation and the emergence of other celestial bodies.
The open disk, designated IRAS 23077, spans approximately 3.3 thousand times the Earth–Sun distance. Its mass and distribution suggest enough material to form giant planets in far-flung orbits well beyond the familiar planetary zones.
Scientists note that IRAS 23077 bears a butterfly-like appearance and marks a new record in the size of protoplanetary disks observed around young stars. Its extraordinary scale provides a unique window into how planets begin to take shape in the early stages of stellar evolution.
Lead author Christina Monsch, affiliated with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, emphasized that studying IRAS 23077 will give researchers a clearer view of the dynamics that drive planet formation. The findings pave the way for direct observations of disk processes as planets assemble from the surrounding material.
Earlier observations highlighted a planet with notably low density compared with typical planetary bodies, sparking interest in how unusual density profiles fit into broader disk models and planet formation theories.