2 Spiral Arms Emerge from the Gas-Rich Disk Around SAO 206462, a Young Star (IMAGE)

U.S. National Science Foundation

2 Spiral Arms Emerge from the Gas-Rich Disk Around SAO 206462, a Young Star

Caption

Two spiral arms emerge from the gas-rich disk around SAO 206462, a young star in the constellation Lupus. This image, acquired by the Subaru Telescope and its HiCIAO instrument, is the first to show spiral arms in a circumstellar disk. The disk itself is some 14 billion miles across, or about twice the size of Pluto's orbit in our own solar system.

Credit

NAOJ/Subaru

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