Investigating a lopsided planetary cradle within a cosmic cloud in the Gum Nebula

Star system: AT Pyxidis | Distance from the Sun: 1206 light years

Astronomers have conducted a detailed study of AT Pyx, a young star surrounded by a planet-forming disk located inside a unique environment called a cometary globule. Using advanced instruments like the VLT and ALMA, researchers discovered that the disk is not perfectly circular but eccentric, featuring distinct spiral arms that may be shaped by a hidden planet with a mass anywhere from a fraction of Jupiter up to three times its size.

The study also suggests that the system might be a binary pair and is currently being fed by falling gas from its surrounding cloud. This marks the first time a disk within such a radiation-influenced cosmic structure has been analyzed in such depth, providing new insights into how planets form outside of typical low-mass star clusters.

Scientific study

Young system development in a cometary globule: An investigation into the eccentric disk around AT Pyx in terms of planet-formation and interaction with its surrounding environment (external link)