Animated GIF of Protoplanetary Disk (IMAGE)

NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center

Animated GIF of Protoplanetary Disk

Caption

In this animation we fly into a protoplanetary disk surrounding a young star. Within the disk, tiny dust grains accumulate layers of ice over thousands of years. These cosmic snowflakes are swept up by forming planets, delivering key ingredients for life.

Credit

NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt

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