Views of Stars and Planet-Forming Discs
University of Exeter | 2019 Jan 16
A pioneering new instrument that produces the sharpest images of young stars could give astronomers a fascinating glimpse into how the solar system may have looked more than 4.5 billion years ago.
An international team of experts, including Professor Stefan Kraus from the University of Exeter, are carrying out new research into how planets form using a ground-breaking new infrared imager.
The imager, called MIRC-X, is designed to give new insights into how planets form from the rotating, circumstellar discs of dense dust and gas that exist around young stars.
While conventional telescopes can only see the outer disc region of these fledgling stars, due to the sheer distance they are from Earth, the new imager can produce images from the depths of the very inner regions.
The research team believe that the research will not only give a far greater understanding of how these stars -- found several hundred light-years away -- form but also give a glimpse into how the solar system would have looked at its very formation. ...
The team utilised the CHARA telescope array, located on Mt. Wilson in California and operated by Georgia State University, to help produce the final images. This facility incorporates six, one-metre telescopes spread over an area 330 metres in diameter. The MIRC-X instrument combines the light from all six telescopes at the same time, effectively creating the resolving power of a giant 330-metre telescope. ...
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