UA Science

You are here

Image Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

UA Astronomers See Dust Eruption Around a Young Star

UA Planetary Sciences graduate student Huan Meng, and Steward Observatory astronomers Kate Su and George Rieke, along with former Steward grad student Wiphu Rujopakarn, and their colleagues, have discovered a dust eruption around the young star NGC 2547-ID8. This is the first time a star has been monitored before, during, and after an eruption, thus helping to constrain models of the processes by which earth-like planets form. A plausible story, consistent with the observations and with general ideas for how planets form, is that two large rocky objects collided at high speed, spewing vast amounts of dust into the debris disk.

The NASA press release can be found HERE and the UANews story by Dan Stolte can be found HERE

For the public
For Public

Public events include our Monday Night Lecture Series, world-reknowned Astronomy Camp and Mt Lemmon Sky Center.

For Students

A good place to start if you want to become an undergrad major or grad student, or need to find our schedule of classes.

 

For Scientists
For Scientists

Find telescopes and instruments, telescope time applications, staff and mountain contacts, and faculty and staff scientific interests.