Planetary dust ring changes. Artwork showing a post-dust stage in the formation of planets around the parent star of the TYC 8241 2652 system. For the

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Planetary dust ring changes. Artwork showing a post-dust stage in the formation of planets around the parent star of the TYC 8241 2652 system. For the same system before the dust has cleared, see image C015/0804. This system was first observed in 1983, and for some 25 years the dust ring was visible glowing in infrared. It was then found that the dust had gone when observed in 2012. It is not clear what caused this phenomenon, but explanations may require construction of new theories of circumstellar discs and planetary formation. TYC 8241 2652 is 450 light years from Earth, in the constellation of Centaurus.

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Size: 4774px × 3689px
Photo credit: © GEMINI OBSERVATORY/AURA/LYNETTE COOK/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No

Keywords: 2012, 2652, 8241, alien, anomaly, artwork, astronomical, astronomy, astrophysical, astrophysics, centaurus, circumstellar, disc, dust, early, exoplanet, extrasolar, formation, forming, illustration, mystery, orbiting, planet, planetary, protoplanetary, ring, science, sequence, series, space, star, stellar, system, tyc, unexplained, universe