 skwirlinator says: NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope observed a fledgling solar system like the one depicted in this artist's concept, and discovered deep within it enough water vapor to fill the oceans on Earth five times. This water vapor starts out in the form of ice in a cloudy cocoon (not pictured) that surrounds the embryonic star, called NGC 1333-IRAS 4B (buried in center of image). Material from the cocoon, including ice, falls toward the center of the cloud. The ice then smacks down onto a dusty pre-planetary disk circling the stellar embryo (doughnut-shaped cloud) and vaporizes. Eventually, this water might make its way into developing planets. that looks fantastic. iwonder how big it is. we should quit wasting time with the shuttle and go to places like that. Wow indeed - great clip. this is now my wallpaper, so thanks again. that looks fantastic. iwonder how big it is. we should quit wasting time with the shuttle and go to places like that."In the new Spitzer study, water also serves as an important tool for studying long-sought details of the planet formation process. By analyzing what's happening to the water in NGC 1333-IRAS 4B, the astronomers are learning about its disk. For example, they calculated the disk's density (at least 10 billion hydrogen molecules per cubic centimeter or 160 billion hydrogen molecules per cubic inch); its dimensions (a radius bigger than the average distance between Earth and Pluto); and its temperature (170 Kelvin, or minus 154 degrees Fahrenheit)." A... |
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