Astronomers have discovered a planet-forming disk that holds more water than all of Earth's oceans combined.
A planet-forming disk with more water than all of Earth's oceans has been discovered. The disk, which is located in the constellation Taurus, is 450 light-years away from Earth. Astronomers used the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array to zoom in and observe the disk. What they discovered is that the protoplanetary disk around the baby star HL Tauri has more water than all of Earth's oceans combined.
The Taurus Molecular Cloud contains hundreds of newborn stars, and ALMA has allowed scientists to peer deeper than ever when looking at them. The discovery of these intense levels of water vapor is both exciting and intriguing. By studying these protoplanetary disks more, we may be able to unlock more of the mysteries surrounding planetary formation and better understand how our own solar system came to be.
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