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Protoplanetary Disks (ALMA, VLT, Hubble)

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.

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 Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, will survey more than 50 targets, including TW Hydrae (left), HD 135344B (center), and 2MASS J16281370 (right) using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope. The observatory's capabilities in infrared light and its high-resolution data will allow them to very precisely model which elements and molecules are present, adding to our understanding of the makeup of these planet-forming disks.

  • Object Name
    Object NameA name or catalog number that astronomers use to identify an astronomical object.
    From left to right: TW Hydrae, HD135344B, 2MASS J16281370-2431391
  • Object Description
    Object DescriptionThe type of astronomical object.
    Protoplanetary Disks
  • Release Date
    December 16, 2020
  • Science Release
    Detailing the Formation of Distant Solar Systems with NASA’s Webb Telescope
    Read the release
  • Credit
    Image: NASA, ESA, ESO, STScI, ALMA, S. Andrews (CfA), Bill Saxton (NRAO, AUI, NSF), T. Stolker (ALMA)

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

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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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Last Updated
Aug 28, 2025
Contact
Media

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

Image Credit

NASA, ESA, ESO, STScI, ALMA, S. Andrews (CfA), Bill Saxton (NRAO, AUI, NSF), T. Stolker (ALMA)

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