Catching planets in the making

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As seen from above the two stars are in the center of a large disk of sand-sized grains. Image courtesy: Wesleyan University
As seen from above, the two stars are in the center of a large disk of sand-sized grains. Image courtesy: Wesleyan University

For many years, astronomers have had a clear, though ever-evolving, picture of how planets are born. It starts with a disk of dust swirling around a newborn star, and then gradually the dust particles stick together to form ever-larger pieces--grains, pebbles, boulders, protoplanets and ultimately planets.


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All News summaries from Space & Earth science news
All News summaries for April 07, 2008

Paying to save tropical forests could be a way to reduce global carbon emissions

1 hour ago | User rating: not rated yet
Wealthy nations willing to collectively spend about $1 billion annually could prevent the emission of roughly half a billion metric tons of carbon dioxide per year for the next 25 years, new research suggests.

Phoenix Completes Longest Work Shift

3 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Phoenix early Tuesday finished its longest work shift of the mission. The lander stayed awake for 33 hours, completing tasks that included rasping and scraping by the robotic arm, in addition ...

Ancient Galactic Magnetic Fields Stronger than Expected

3 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- Mining the far reaches of the universe for clues about its past, a team of scientists including Philipp Kronberg of Los Alamos National Laboratory has proposed that magnetic fields of ancient galaxies like ...

Polarizing filter allows astronomers to see disks surrounding black holes

4 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
(PhysOrg.com) -- For the first time, a team of international researchers has found a way to view the accretion disks surrounding black holes and verify that their true electromagnetic spectra match what astronomers ...

Category 2 Hurricane Dolly Crosses South Padre Island, Texas

4 hours ago | User rating: not rated yet
At 12:00 p.m. CDT (1:00 p.m. EDT) Dolly's eye was located near latitude 26.2 north and longitude 97.0 west or about 35 miles northeast of Brownsville, Texas, and she was crossing South Padre Island.

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