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

Image titled "Dracula's Chivito, IRAS 23077+6707, H S T W F C 3 UVIS plus I R". 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. 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.

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

The north and east compass arrows show the orientation of the image on the sky. Note that the relationship between north and east on the sky (as seen from below) is flipped relative to direction arrows on a map of the ground (as seen from above).

The scale bar is labeled in astronomical units, which is the average distance of the Earth from the Sun. One astronomical unit is equal to about 93 million miles, or 150 million kilometers. The scale bar is also labeled in arcseconds, which is 1/3,600th of one degree on the sky. 

The color key shows which Hubble filters were used when collecting the light. The color of each filter name is the color used to represent the light that passes through that filter.

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

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    jpg (426.19 KB)
Image titled "Dracula's Chivito, IRAS 23077+6707, H S T W F C 3 UVIS plus I R". 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. 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.
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 

Related Images & Videos

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.

Dracula's Chivito (IRAS 23077+6707)

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.

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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