At a Distance of 800 Light-Years… Unexpected Discovery of “Space Dracula”
Astronomers using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System in the United States unexpectedly discovered a new planetary disk about 800 light-years away.
This discovery was announced on the pre-print research site “Arxiv.”
Primordial planet disks are dense disks of gas and dust surrounding newly forming stars and are essential for understanding planet formation. Led by Cyrian T. Bergeron of the American Seaboard Observatory, the team identified this new disk, named “Shiveto Dracula,” characterized by its large size, resembling the national dish of Uruguay, with an apparent size of 11 arcseconds, making it the largest primordial planetary disk ever discovered.
The mass of the disk is estimated at 0.2 solar masses, with about 20% of it consisting of large grains, and its radius is approximately 1650 astronomical units.
Observations indicate that it surrounds a late A-type star, likely in its early stages of evolution, with faint “fangs” indicating a dissipating envelope, confirming its youthful state.
