Is This Star Gaining a Planet?

Astrophysicists know that planets form as grains of dust that orbit a star collide and stick over time. However, witnessing this process in action remains elusive. A new image of the young star AB Aurigae brings scientists one step closer to seeing extrasolar planet formation directly.

A gap in the orbiting disk of dust is visible in the image, signaling where material may be gathering to form a planet or a brown dwarf (a body intermediate between stars and planets).

Led by AMNH astrophysicist Ben Oppenheimer, the team used a number of techniques to spot the possible planet. One is coronagraphy, which blocks out the brightest light emitted by the star to permit dimmer objects nearby to be seen. A second technique is polarimetry, which filters out the starlight with incredible precision, leaving only the light scattered by the dusty disk where planets form.

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