'Bat Shadow' (diagram) (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

'Bat Shadow' (diagram)

Caption

This illustration shows a fledgling star surrounded by a warped, saddle-shaped disk with two peaks and two dips. A planet embedded in the disk, inclined to the disk's plane, may be causing the warping. As the disk rotates around the young star, it is thought to block the light from that star and cast a varying, flapping shadow on a distant cloud.

Credit

NASA, ESA, and A. James and G. Bacon (STScI)

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