Gigantic dust rings around the star MWC 480 may hold the seeds for new giant planets

Star system: MWC 480 | Distance from the Sun: 528 light years

A detailed survey of the young star MWC 480 has revealed a massive disk of dust and gas where new planets are likely forming. By combining data from the ALMA and VLA telescopes, researchers identified a prominent dust ring located 95 astronomical units from the star—more than double the distance of Pluto from our Sun. This specific ring contains enough solid material to build the cores of several giant planets. 

The study also discovered a new 'plateau' of dust closer to the star and suggests that the dust grains in these regions have grown to centimeter sizes, appearing either as compact pebbles or highly porous, soot-like structures. These findings provide a high-resolution look at the raw materials available for future planetary systems.

Scientific study

Probing Dust in the MWC 480 Disk from Millimeter to Centimeter Wavelengths (external link)