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Dracula’s Chivito (IRAS 23077+6707)

Near the center is an object that resembles an edge-on view of a hamburger. There is a diagonal dark strip (the meat patty) of dust, running from 1 o'clock to 7 o'clock, that obscures a central star. Curving away from either side of the dark strip are glowing white clouds (the buns) where dust is reflecting starlight. Bright blue finger-like wisps of material extend far above and below the dark center plane. A few dozen stars, some with four diffraction spikes, are scattered on the black background of space.

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the largest planet-forming disk ever observed around a young star. It spans nearly 400 billion miles — 40 times the diameter of our solar system. Tilted nearly edge-on as seen from Earth, the dark, dusty disk resembles a hamburger. Hubble reveals it to be unusually chaotic, with bright wisps of material extending far above and below the disk—more than seen in any similar circumstellar disk. Cataloged as IRAS 23077+6707, the system is located approximately 1,000 light-years from Earth. The discovery marks a new milestone for Hubble and offers fresh insight into planet formation in extreme environments across the galaxy.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    23:09:43.83
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    +67:23:40.49
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Cepheus
  • Distance
    DistanceThe 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.
    About 978 light-years
  • Dimensions
    DimensionsThe physical size of the object or the apparent angle it subtends on the sky.
    Image is about 50 arcsec across (about 0.24 light-years)

About the Data

  • Data Description
    Data 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 Hubble observations include those from program 17751 (K. Monsch)

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    WFC3 UVIS+IR
  • Exposure Dates
    Exposure DatesThe date(s) that the telescope made its observations and the total exposure time.
    February 8, 2025
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    UVIS: F438W, F606W, F814W; IR: F105W, F125W, F160W
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    IRAS 23077+6707; Dracula's Chivito 
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Very large protoplanetary disk
  • Release Date
    December 23, 2025
  • Science Release
    NASA’s Hubble Reveals Largest Found Chaotic Birthplace of Planets
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, STScI, Kristina Monsch (CfA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Display), 1276 × 1409
    png (2.3 MB)
  • Full Res (For Print), 1276 × 1409
    tif (2.07 MB)
  • Full Res (JPG), 1276 × 1409
    jpg (389.46 KB)
Near the center is an object that resembles an edge-on view of a hamburger. There is a diagonal dark strip (the meat patty) of dust, running from 1 o'clock to 7 o'clock, that obscures a central star. Curving away from either side of the dark strip are glowing white clouds (the buns) where dust is reflecting starlight. Bright blue finger-like wisps of material extend far above and below the dark center plane. A few dozen stars, some with four diffraction spikes, are scattered on the black background of space.
Color Info
Color InfoA brief description of the methods used to convert telescope data into the color image being presented.

These images were acquired by the WFC3 Instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to a monochromatic (grayscale) image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F438W+F606W, Green: F814W+F105W, Red: F125W+F160W 

Compass and Scale
Compass and ScaleAn astronomical image with a scale that shows how large an object is on the sky, a compass that shows how the object is oriented on the sky, and the filters with which the image was made.

Related Images & Videos

Image titled "Dracula's Chivito, IRAS 23077+6707, H S T W F C 3 UVIS plus I R". At upper left is blue text reading F438W + F606W, green text reading F814W + F105W, and red text reading F125W + F160W. At bottom left is a scale bar labeled 1500 A U and 5 arcseconds. At bottom right, an arrow labeled E points to the left and an arrow labeled N points up.

Dracula's Chivito (IRAS 23077+6707) Compass Image

Image of Dracula's Chivito captured by Hubble's WFC3 instrument, with compass arrows, scale bar, and color key for reference.

Near the center is an object that resembles an edge-on view of a hamburger. There is a diagonal dark strip (the meat patty) of dust, running from 1 o'clock to 7 o'clock, that obscures a central star. Curving away from either side of the dark strip are glowing white clouds (the buns) where dust is reflecting starlight. Bright blue finger-like wisps of material extend far above and below the dark center plane. A few dozen stars, some with four diffraction spikes, are scattered on the black background of space.

Hubble Spots Giant Vampire Sandwich? Video

Dracula’s Chivito isn't just the largest protoplanetary disk ever imaged, it’s also a window into how planets are born and how systems like our solar system may have formed.

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Details

Last Updated
Dec 23, 2025
Location
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
Contact
Media

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

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