The observations reveal at least three times as much water as in all of Earths oceans in the inner disc of the young Sun-like star HL Tauri, located 450 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Taurus.Astronomers have actually found water vapor in a disc around a young star precisely where planets might be forming. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), NSFThe Role of Water in Planet FormationA significant quantity of water was discovered in the region where a known space in the HL Tauri disc exists. “Our results reveal how the presence of water might affect the development of a planetary system, just like it did some 4.5 billion years earlier in our own Solar System,” Facchini adds.With upgrades taking place at ALMA and ESOs Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) coming online within the decade, planet development and the role water plays in it will end up being clearer than ever.
The brand-new findings were made possible thanks to the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner.Astonishing Observations With ALMA”I had never ever pictured that we could catch an image of oceans of water vapor in the same area where a world is most likely forming,” states Stefano Facchini, an astronomer at the University of Milan, Italy, who led the study published on February 29 in Nature Astronomy. The observations reveal at least 3 times as much water as in all of Earths oceans in the inner disc of the young Sun-like star HL Tauri, situated 450 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Taurus.Astronomers have discovered water vapor in a disc around a young star precisely where worlds may be forming. Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), NSFThe Role of Water in Planet FormationA considerable quantity of water was discovered in the area where a recognized space in the HL Tauri disc exists. Credit: ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2Observing water with a ground-based telescope is no mean accomplishment as the plentiful water vapor in Earths environment degrades the huge signals. “Our outcomes reveal how the presence of water may influence the development of a planetary system, just like it did some 4.5 billion years ago in our own Solar System,” Facchini adds.With upgrades taking place at ALMA and ESOs Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) coming online within the years, world formation and the function water plays in it will become clearer than ever.