Largest Planet-Forming Disk Resembles Giant Cosmic Butterfly and Hamburger-Like Sandwich

Researchers have found the largest cosmic structure, which appeared like a butterfly and hamburger from afar.

IRAS 23077: The Largest Planet-Forming Disk

About 1,000 light years away from Earth, a massive cosmic structure called IRAS 23077+6707 (IRAS 23077) was spotted. The cosmic structure appeared like a giant butterfly. Ciprian T. Berghea, an astronomer with the US Naval Observatory, first detected the structure in 2016 using the Panoramic Survey Telescope and the Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS). Many have been surprised to learn that the structure hasn't altered in years, with some wondering what IRAS 2307 might be.

IRAS 23077+6707 was first identified by the Infrared Astronomy Satellite (IRAS) in the 1980s as a source of infrared radiation. Then, in 2016, Berghea rediscovered it while surveying active galaxies in the vicinity of the Cepheus constellation.

Although Berghea was unsure of its exact nature, it contained two parallel lobes separated by a dark lane, characteristic of a disk becoming a planet edge-on. The bright areas of such an object correspond to light scattered by dust in the top regions of the disk, while the black line represents the ecliptic plane of our solar system, which is the location of most of the material.

The center star of a system's light is blocked and absorbed by this dense region of material. The disk's upper and lower planes diffuse gradually rather than having a distinct boundary, and two filaments trace those flared areas. This gives the layout an oddly butterfly-like appearance but resembles a hamburger because of the bright areas divided by the black channel. Thus, because of his Romanian ancestry and upbringing close to Transylvania, Berghea went by the moniker "Dracula's Chivito" (IRAS 23077+6707), a chivito being a sandwich similar to a hamburger from his home country.

Using a Submillimeter Array (SMA) in Hawaii, Berghea confirmed that the cosmic structure was a planet-forming disk. But it's not ordinary because it was the biggest by far.

"What we found was incredible - evidence that this was the largest planet-forming disk ever discovered. It is extremely rich in dust and gas, which we know are the building blocks of planets," said Kristina Monsch, an astronomer with the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, in a statement.

Earth-Like Exoplanet Found

In related news, the Earth-like exoplanet Gliese 12 b, 40 light years away, could possibly host life. The exoplanet reportedly has a surface temperature of 107 degrees Fahrenheit and is somewhat smaller than our planet and, if it has no atmosphere, warmer than ours. It is situated just inside the habitable zone, which is the distance from a star at which planets in orbit could sustain liquid water on their surfaces.

Gliese 12 is only 7% the distance from Earth to the Sun away from the recently found planet. Venus receives about 85% of its energy from its star, which is 1.6 times more than Earth receives from the Sun.

The star's storminess is essential to its atmosphere. Red dwarfs are known for their magnetic activity, often resulting in strong X-ray flares. However, the study evaluations conclude that Gliese 12 displays no severe behavior.

Check out more news and information on SPACE in Science Times.