Quartz-like Crystals Found in Planetary Disks

Spitzer_ssc2008-20a_1024

spitzer_ssc2008-20a November 11th, 2008

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope has, for the first time, detected tiny quartz-like crystals sprinkled in young planetary systems. The crystals, which are types of silica minerals called cristobalite and tridymite, can be seen close-up in the black-and-white insets (cristobalite is on the left, and tridymite on the right). The main picture is an artist's concept of a young star and its swirling disk of planet-forming materials.

Cristobalite and tridymite are thought to be two of many planet ingredients. On Earth, they are normally found as tiny crystals in volcanic lava flows and meteorites from space. These minerals are both related to quartz. For example, if you were to heat the familiar quartz crystals often sold as mystical tokens, the quartz would transform into cristobalite and tridymite.

Because cristobalite and tridymite require rapid heating and cooling to form, astronomers say they were most likely generated by shock waves traveling through the planetary disks.

The insets are Scanning Electron Microscope pictures courtesy of George Rossman of the California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, Calif.

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/1968-ssc2008-20a-Quartz-like-Crystals-Found-in-Planetary-Disks

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: Public Domain

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Image Details

Image Type
Artwork
Subject - Milky Way
Star > Evolutionary Stage > Young Stellar Object
Star > Circumstellar Material > Disk > Protoplanetary
Spitzer_ssc2008-20a_1280
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ID
ssc2008-20a
Subject Category
B.3.1.2   B.3.7.2.1  
Subject Name
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech
Type
Artwork
Image Quality
Good
Distance Notes
Facility
Instrument
Color Assignment
Band
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
Spitzer Space Telescope
URL
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
1200 E. California Blvd.
City
Pasadena
State/Province
CA
Postal Code
91125
Country
USA
Rights
Public Domain
Publisher
Spitzer Science Center
Publisher ID
spitzer
Resource ID
ssc2008-20a.tif
Metadata Date
2011-09-02
Metadata Version
1.1
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