Astronomers Discover Disc Moving Around Star in Nearby Galaxy

Astronomers Discover Disc Moving Around Star in Nearby Galaxy

Astronomers have made an exciting discovery: a disc around a star in a nearby galaxy, the Large Magellanic Cloud. This is the first time such a disc has been seen outside of our own Milky Way galaxy. The disc is similar to those involved in the formation of planets.

The discovery was made by researchers using the Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) telescope in Chile, in collaboration with the European Southern Observatory (ESO). They found a ring of material accumulating around a young star, much like a baby surrounded by toys.

The lead author of the study, Associate Professor Anna McLeod from Durham University, was thrilled to identify the first extragalactic accretion disc. This discovery supports the theory that stars and planets are formed from discs, as suggested by a report in Nature.

The star, named HH 1177, is hidden within a gas cloud in the Large Magellanic Cloud. A jet of material is seen emerging from it, which is a common feature in young stars.

The researchers also studied how the disc affects the density of the surrounding gas. This led to the formation of a swirling disc of matter orbiting the growing star. By analysing frequency values from ALMA, they found evidence of the first disc rotating around a young star outside our galaxy.

This star might not be very old, but it is immense in size. In the Milky Way, the dust involved in disc formation often obscures these massive stars, making them difficult to observe. However, the Large Magellanic Cloud has less dust, allowing astronomers to clearly see the stars and planets forming around HH 1177. This discovery enhances our understanding of star and planet formation in other galaxies.