This is yet another cosmic first for the veteran space telescope; astronomers have been able to compare Hubble observations of Beta Pictoris 1997 and 2012 and would therefore be able to track any morphological changes in its protoplanetary disk.
As the exoplanet’s orbit is predicted to have an orbital period of between 18-20 years, over the 15 years between observations, the exoplanet would have shifted considerably, but Hubble has noticed little change in the distribution of dust in the protoplanetary disk, confirming some models about how protoplanetary disks mingling with exoplanets work.
“Some computer simulations predicted a complicated structure for the inner disk due to the gravitational pull by the short-period giant planet,” said Daniel Apai of the University of Arizona. “The new images reveal the inner disk and confirm the predicted structures. This finding validates models, which will help us to deduce the presence of other exoplanets in other disks.”
From these observations, astronomers can see that the circumstellar dust is orbiting in unison with the exoplanet “like a carousel,” according to a Hubble news release. This suggests that the inner dusty disk is “smooth and continuous” as it orbits the star.
Beta Pictoris, however, isn’t believed to be a ‘typical’ young star with a protoplanetary disk.
“The Beta Pictoris disk is the prototype for circumstellar debris systems, but it may not be a good archetype,” said co-author Glenn Schneider of the University of Arizona.
Beta Pictoris was the first star to be discovered to have a bright circumstellar disk. It’s believed that asteroids and comets in the system are continuously colliding, populating the disk with copious quantities of dust. Also, a lobe-like feature in the disk is thought to be the dusty remains of a pulverized Mars-sized body.
Read more at Discovery News
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