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About the Image
- Date
- 2014-03-06
- ID
- sig14-005
- Type
- Artwork
- Credit
- NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)
About the Object
- Type
- Star > Circumstellar Material > Disk > Protoplanetary
Loops of Gas and Dust Rise from Planetary Disks
Magnetic loops carry gas and dust above disks of planet-forming material circling stars, as shown in this artist's conception. These loops give off extra heat, which NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope detects as infrared light. The colors in this illustration show what an alien observer with eyes sensitive to both visible light and infrared wavelengths might see.
Related Media
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Feature Article Mystery of Planet-forming Disks Explained by Magnetism feature14-05 |
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Image Loops of Gas and Dust Rise from Planetary Disks sig14-005 |