Sign of ‘Embryonic Planets’ Forming in Nearby Stellar Systems
I’ve seen various references to a news story about embryonic planets forming the last few days but didn’t get a chance to read the story until now. Here is a snipet of the story from the University of Rochester press.
Astronomers at the University of Rochester are pointing to three nearby stars they say may hold “embryonic planets”—a missing link in planet-formation theories.
As scientists try to piece together how our own planet came to be, they look to the forming planets of other star systems for clues. But astronomers have been unable to find evidence for one of the key stages of planet development, a period early in the planet’s formation when it is only as large as tiny Pluto.
Read more on the story here.
That said. While the story was very interesting, what really drew my eye in, was the image above that I linked to. If there was ever something from the real world that resembled the Eye of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings, this is it. Here is a link to the hi-res version of the image.
