janrinok writes:
"Scientist believe that the explanation might be magnetism. Material released by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) discusses how the mystery has been solved:
Astronomers say that magnetic storms in the gas orbiting young stars may explain a mystery that has persisted since before 2006.
Researchers using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope to study developing stars have had a hard time figuring out why the stars give off more infrared light than expected. The planet-forming disks that circle the young stars are heated by starlight and glow with infrared light, but Spitzer detected additional infrared light coming from an unknown source.A new theory, based on three-dimensional models of planet-forming disks, suggests the answer: Gas and dust suspended above the disks on gigantic magnetic loops like those seen on the sun absorb the starlight and glow with infrared light.
However, the report goes into considerably more detail and is an interesting read."
(Score: 2, Funny) by Ethanol-fueled on Saturday March 08 2014, @06:25PM
The Spitzer telescope watches space swallow disks.
Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all week.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by frojack on Saturday March 08 2014, @09:34PM
The part I found odd about this was there was too much infra red radiating from the newly formed star.
I'm amazed there can be any such thing as "too much infra red" around a star, or that we have watched enough star formation to even speculate on how much is normal.
As for the rest of the theory, it is speculating that magnetism would be necessary to suspend fine dust and gas layers above a star's disk. It postulates that gravity acting on smaller particles would not allow suspension of these "fines" high enough from the plane of the disk for that dust to be a significant source of re-radiated infra red. Therefore they needed magnetism.
I'm surprised that a bunch of turbulent rocks, colliding and degassing due to intense heat, would require any thing additional mechanism to push lighter elements higher than the heavier elements. I'm also surprised the proposed magnetic loops would be anywhere but directly through the midst of disk.
Guess that's why I don't work there.
No, you are mistaken. I've always had this sig.