planet forming discs
planet forming discs A team of astronomers including UCL's Professor Paola Pinilla have conducted one of the largest ever surveys of planet-forming discs, shedding new light on the fascinating and complex process of planet formation. The research, published in three new papers in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics , brings together observations of more than 80 young stars that might have planets forming around them, providing astronomers with a wealth of data and unique insights into how planets arise in different regions of our galaxy. The stunning images of the discs were captured using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT) in Chile. Co-author Dr Paola Pinilla (Mullard Space Science Laboratory at UCL) said: " We are in an era of very powerful telescopes that can reveal many mysteries about planet formation. The images that we are getting are revealing so many substructures that we still do not understand. Unveiling these mysteries is and will be part of our theoretical research in our group on planet formation at MSSL at UCL. " Dr Christian Ginski of the University of Galway, Ireland, who was lead author on one of the papers, said: "This is really a shift in our field of study.
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