Pages

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

VLT and Hubble Images of the Protoplanet System HD 100546


This composite image shows a view from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope (left) and from the NACO system on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (right) of the gas and dust around the young star HD 100546. The Hubble visible-light image shows the outer disc of gas and dust around the star. The new infrared VLT picture of a small part of the disc shows a candidate protoplanet. Both pictures were taken with a special coronagraph that suppresses the light from the brilliant star. The position of the star is marked with a red cross in both panels.

Image credit: ESO/NASA/ESA/Ardila et al.

Note: For more information, see The Birth of a Giant Planet?

No comments: