HD 169142 system showing the planet in formation (VIDEO)
Caption
A series of images of the HD 169142 system showing the planet in formation HD 169142 b moving in its orbit over time. A bright spiral arm is visible in the wake of the planet, resulting from the dynamic interaction between the planet and the disc in which it lies. The signal from the star, which is 100,000 times brighter than the planet, was subtracted by a combination of optical components and image processing (mask in the centre of the image). Images obtained with ESO's VLT/SPHERE instrument.
Credit
ESO/VLT
Usage Restrictions
No restrictions.
License
Public Domain