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Protoplanetary Disk Around Dwarf Star PDS 70 (VLT)

A large, orange amorphous object extends approximately from top left to bottom right. It represents a forming protoplanetary disk.

PDS 70 is approximately 370 light-years away and features a large gap in its inner ring. The European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope provided the first clear image of a planet forming around the central star in 2018. The planet is a bright point to the right of the center of the image. The central star is black since its light was blocked by an instrument known as a coronagraph. A second planet has also been detected. This system is a future target of NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope.

About the Object

  • R.A. Position
    R.A. PositionRight ascension – analogous to longitude – is one component of an object's position.
    14:08:10.16
  • Dec. Position
    Dec. PositionDeclination – analogous to latitude – is one component of an object's position.
    -41:23:52.60
  • Constellation
    ConstellationOne of 88 recognized regions of the celestial sphere in which the object appears.
    Hydra

About the Data

  • Instrument
    InstrumentThe science instrument used to produce the data.
    SPHERE
  • Filters
    FiltersThe camera filters that were used in the science observations.
    2.11 μm, 2.251 μm
  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    PDS 70
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Protoplanetary Disk
  • Release Date
    December 16, 2020
  • Science Release
    Detailing the Formation of Distant Solar Systems with NASA’s Webb Telescope
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: ESO, André Müller (ESO)

Downloads

  • Full Res (For Print), 2000 × 1692
    tif (9.7 MB)
  • Full Res (For Display), 2000 × 1692
    png (3.09 MB)

Related Images & Videos

Three square images with black backgrounds are displayed horizontally. At far left is a fuzzy orange circle that represents a protoplanetary disk. The second image has a large black circle at the center. Two primary, orange spiral arms extend from a circular shape at the center and become diffuse at the edges. At the center of the image on the right are two flat oval shapes that are angled from bottom left to top right.

Protoplanetary Disks (ALMA, VLT, Hubble)

Still-forming solar systems, known as planet-forming disks, come in a variety of shapes and sizes — and some show that bodies like forming planets may be clearing paths as they orbit the central stars. A research team led by Thomas Henning of the Max Planck Institute for...

Infographic titled “Recipe for Planet Formation, with star and nebula” has text and illustration design reminiscent of pages in a cookbook or baking magazine.

Recipe for Planet Formation

This infographic is a simplified artistic representation of planet formation, following the format of a baking recipe.

Rings of debris around a star

How Planets Form

Solar systems take millions of years to form. They start out as globs of gas and dust that orbit a central star, which itself may also be forming. Gravity and other forces cause material within the disk to collide. If the collision is gentle enough, the material fuses, growing...

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Details

Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

Laura Betz
NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center
Greenbelt, Maryland
laura.e.betz@nasa.gov

Image Credit

ESO, André Müller (ESO)

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