TW Hydrae: There's more to astronomers' favorite planetary nursery than previously thought
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 - 15:31
in Astronomy & Space
Astronomers have used a new method to determine the mass of the planetary nursery around the star TW Hydrae. At a distance of merely 176 light-years from Earth, this is the closest star that is currently forming new planets – hence one of the most important objects for astronomers studying planet formation. The precise new measurement shows a much larger mass for TW Hydrae's disk than in previous studies, indicating that the system could be forming planets similar to those of our own Solar System.