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Comparison of TW Hydrae System and Solar System

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 beyond our Kuiper Belt, a reservoir of icy, leftover material from the formation of our solar system.
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    TW Hydrae
  • Release Date
    June 13, 2013
  • Science Release
    Hubble Uncovers Evidence for Extrasolar Planet Under Construction
    Read the release
  • Credit
    NASA, ESA, and A. Feild (STScI)

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Related Images & Videos

TW Hydrae Protoplanetary Disk

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...

TW Hydrae Disk – Hubble

TW Hydrae Disk – Hubble

TW Hydrae Disk – Artist's Illustration

TW Hydrae Disk – Artist's Illustration

Compass and Scale Image of TW Hydrae Disk

Compass and Scale Image of TW Hydrae Disk

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Last Updated
Mar 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Claire Andreoli
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
claire.andreoli@nasa.gov

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