planetforming
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Space & Cosmos
Webb reveals that planet-forming disks can last longer than previously thought
This diagram shows the underlying stars surrounded by discs forming a planet of gas and dust. The planetary formation process displays gaps on disks not shown in this diagram. A stream near the center indicates that the problem from the disk is still falling to the star. Credit: NASA/CXC/m. Weiss If there was something like a cosmic photo album, it…
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Space & Cosmos
Astronomers map ‘danger zone’ of planet-forming disks in star clusters
X-ray: NASA/CXC/SAO/J. Drake et al, IR: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Spitzer; Image processing: NASA/CXC/SAO/N. walk Most stars form collections called clusters or federations that contain very massive stars. These massive stars emit large amounts of high-energy radiation that can destroy relatively fragile disks of dust and gas that are in the process of merging to form new planets. A team of astronomers uses NASA’s…
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