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Iconic Stellar Debris Ring Much Stranger Than Previously Thought

posted by takyon on Wednesday March 07 2018, @09:21PM   Printer-friendly
from the he-didn't-go-to-Jared's dept.

aristarchus writes:

From Gizmodo:

[...] an enormous ring of debris, 237 light years away from Earth, orbiting a long-studied, young star called HR 4796A. While the bright white ring of debris may be the most visually striking part of the image, astronomers are more excited about what's around it: the much larger, less-concentrated area of dust around it.

[...] Researchers aren't quite sure how the system got its shape, but perhaps the nearby companion star, HR 4796B, is influencing the shape with its gravitational pull. It's not easy understanding these things, given all the possible influencing factors, according to a Hubble press release.

Hubble has observed few systems like HR 4796A, but the scientists predict that these debris ring might be relatively common in younger stars, according to the paper. HR 4796 is a mere 8 million years old—our sun is around 4.5 billion years. And understanding these structures could help understand how stars evolve, and even how planets might form around these young stars. Our own solar system probably formed from a dust disk, too, after all.

The HR 4796A Debris System: Discovery of Extensive Exo-ring Dust Material (DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/aaa3f3) (DX)

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by aristarchus on Thursday March 08 2018, @06:48AM (2 children)

    by aristarchus (2645) on Thursday March 08 2018, @06:48AM (#649370) Journal

    I respond, "Fowl!" I used to submit nothing but science and tech articles, with a bit of philosophy thrown in, until The Mighty Buzzard and other Nazi sympathizing honchos tried to censor submissions! And also, for some reason, actual astronomy stories, of which takyon already submits a ton, do not get a lot of discussion. Some comments are nothing but off-topic personal attacks by Anonymous Cowards cowardly hiding behind their anonymity, as if they had some vast ring to stellar debris to cloak their existence. See what I mean?

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  • (Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Thursday March 08 2018, @11:40AM

    by PiMuNu (3823) on Thursday March 08 2018, @11:40AM (#649441)

    Sometimes an article is interesting but not comment-worthy, so worth posting anyway!

  • (Score: 2) by Freeman on Thursday March 08 2018, @05:22PM

    by Freeman (732) on Thursday March 08 2018, @05:22PM (#649565) Journal

    I have a few rings to give away. *DISCLAIMER* I may not be held liable in the event that I happen to have an interstellar ring to bind them with.

    --
    Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee"