Astonishing view of Planet formation * ALMA telescope

ESO's large radio telescope array in the high Atacama desert in Chile has captured the most detailed view yet of planet formation.

The ALMA telescope has imaged the young ( 1 million years old ) star HL Tauri, 450 light years form Earth. The star, like all young stars, has a dusty accretion disk around it that the ALMA telescope has found to contain ring shaped gaps. These gaps are believed to be caused by protoplanets sweeping up the dust and gas in the disk as they grow.

The ALMA image.
[link to www.eso.org]
and with annotation.
[link to www.eso.org]

Amazing images of the ALMA telescope, best enjoyed full screen and HD.



[link to www.youtube.com]

K