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TW Hydrae Protoplanetary Disk
This graphic shows a gap in a protoplanetary disk of dust and gas whirling around the nearby red dwarf star TW Hydrae.
The gap's presence is best explained as due to the effects of a growing, unseen planet that is gravitationally sweeping up material and carving out a lane in the disk, like a snow plow.
In the NASA Hubble Space Telescope image at left, a gap can be seen about 7.5 billion miles away from the star in the center of the disk. If the putative planet orbited in our solar system, it would be roughly twice Pluto's distance from our Sun. The image was taken in near-infrared light by the Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS).
Astronomers used a masking device on NICMOS to block out the star's bright light so that the disk's structure could be seen. The Hubble observations reveal that the gap, which is 1.9 billion miles wide, is not completely cleared out. The graphic at right shows the gap relative to the star. TW Hydrae resides 176 light-years away in the constellation Hydra (the Sea Serpent).
The Hubble observations were taken on June 17, 2005.
About the Object
- R.A. PositionR.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.11h 1m 52.98s
- Dec. PositionDec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.-34° 42' 24.77"
- ConstellationConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.Hydra
- DistanceDistanceThe physical distance from Earth to the astronomical object. Distances within our solar system are usually measured in Astronomical Units (AU). Distances between stars are usually measured in light-years. Interstellar distances can also be measured in parsecs.176 light-years (54 parsecs)
About the Data
- Data DescriptionData DescriptionProposal: A description of the observations, their scientific justification, and the links to the data available in the science archive.
Science Team: The astronomers who planned the observations and analyzed the data. "PI" refers to the Principal Investigator.The image was created from Hubble data from proposal 10167: A. Weinberger (Carnegie Institution of Washington), G. Schneider (U. Arizona/Steward Observatory), M. Silverstone (U. of Alabama), C. Dumas (ESO), A. Roberge (GSFC), and J. Debes (STScI). - InstrumentInstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.HST>NICMOS/NIC2
- Exposure DatesExposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.June 17, 2005
- FiltersFiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.F171M, F180M, F204M, and F222M
- Object NameObject NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.TW Hydrae
- Object DescriptionObject DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.T-Tauri Star with Disk
- Release DateJune 13, 2013
- Science ReleaseHubble Uncovers Evidence for Extrasolar Planet Under Construction
- Credit
This image was originally black and white and measured brightness, multiplied by the distance to the stellar position squared. These brightness values were translated into a range of reddish hues. Such color "maps" can be useful in helping to distinguish subtly varying brightness in an image. The central dark spot in the release data is due to the NICMOS coronagraph, not due to a central clearing in the disk. F171M + F180M + F222M
Related Images & Videos
Comparison of TW Hydrae System and Solar System
This illustration shows that the TW Hydrae protoplanetary disk is much wider than the size of our solar system. In fact, the gap in the TW Hydrae disk produced by a suspected planet resides 7.5 billion miles from the star. At this distance, the putative planet would orbit far...
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Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov
