Probing the Early Life of Planet-Hosting Stars
Astronomers have successfully peered through the 'amniotic sac' of a star that is still forming to observe the innermost region of a burgeoning solar system for the first time.
Lead author Dr Ignacio MendigutÃa from the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leeds, said: "Nobody has ever been able to probe this close to a star that is still forming and which also has at least one planet so close in.
"We have been able to detect for the first time emission from the innermost part of the disk of gas that surrounds the central star. Unexpectedly, this emission is similar to that of 'barren' young stars that do not show any signs of active planet formation."
See the original press release here.