Birth of an Earth-like Planet

Spitzer_sig07-019_1024

spitzer_sig07-019 October 3rd, 2007

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (SSC)

This artist's conception shows a binary-star, or two-star, system, called HD 113766, where astronomers suspect a rocky Earth-like planet is forming around one of the stars. At approximately 10 to 16 million years old, astronomers suspect this star is at just the right age for forming rocky planets. The system is located approximately 424 light-years away from Earth.

The two yellow spots in the image represent the system's two stars. The brown ring of material circling closest to the central star depicts a huge belt of dusty material, more than 100 times as much as in our asteroid belt, or enough to build a Mars-size planet or larger. The rocky material in the belt represents the early stages of planet formation, when dust grains clump together to form rocks, and rocks collide to form even more massive rocky bodies called planetesimals. The belt is located in the middle of the system's terrestrial habitable zone, or the region around a star where liquid water could exist on any rocky planets that might form. Earth is located in the middle of our Sun's terrestrial habitable zone.

Using NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers learned that the belt material in HD 113866 is more processed than the snowball-like stuff that makes up infant solar systems and comets, which contain pristine ingredients from the early solar system. However, it is not as processed as the stuff found in mature planets and asteroids. This means that the dust belt is made out of just the right mix of materials to be forming an Earth-like planet. It is composed mainly of rocky silicates and metal sulfides (like fool's gold), similar to the material found in lava flows.

The white outer ring shows a concentration of icy dust also detected in the system. This material is at the equivalent position of the asteroid belt in our solar system, but only contains about one-sixth as much material as the inner ring. Astronomers say it is not clear from the Spitzer observations if anything is occurring i

Provider: Spitzer Space Telescope

Image Source: http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2109-sig07-019-Birth-of-an-Earth-like-Planet

Curator: Spitzer Space Telescope, Pasadena, CA, USA

Image Use Policy: Public Domain

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Image Details

Image Type
Artwork
Object Name
HD 113766
Subject - Milky Way
Star > Grouping > Binary
Star > Circumstellar Material > Disk > Protoplanetary
Star > Circumstellar Material > Disk > Debris

Distance

Universescale1
424 light years
Spitzer_sig07-019_1280
×
ID
sig07-019
Subject Category
B.3.6.1   B.3.7.2.1   B.3.7.2.3  
Subject Name
HD 113766
Credits
NASA/JPL-Caltech/T. Pyle (SSC)
Release Date
2007-10-03
Lightyears
424
Redshift
Reference Url
http://www.spitzer.caltech.edu/images/2109-sig07-019-Birth-of-an-Earth-like-Planet
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
Spitzer Space Telescope
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
sig07-019.tif
Metadata Date
2017-03-13
Metadata Version
1.1
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Detailed color mapping information coming soon...

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Universescalefull
424 light years

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