![Two images (1997 on the top and 2012 on the bottom) of an edge on dust disk, colored blue-white and emanating from a central point. The central star is blocked from view by a black splotch. The 1997 view looks very slightly different than the 2012 view.](https://science.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/hs-2015-06-a-web_print-jpg.webp?w=4096&format=png)
Circumstellar Debris Disk Around Beta Pictoris
The 2012 image (bottom) is the most detailed picture to date of a large, edge-on, gas-and-dust disk encircling the 20-million year-old star Beta Pictoris. The 1997 Hubble image (top) shows the disk's dust distribution has barely changed over 15 years.
Credits: NASA, ESA, University of Arizona
Image CreditNASA, ESA, University of Arizona
Size640x308px