Dear Friends of science and Astronomy,

Astronomers see sun-like star with possible planet formation
http://edition.cnn.com/2005/TECH/space/12/15/planet.birth.ap/
WHBF, IL - 9 hours ago

PASADENA, California (AP) -- Astronomers have spotted a swirling debris cloud
around a sun-like star where terrestrial planets similar to Earth may be forming
in a process that could shed light on the birth of the solar system.

The star, located 137 light-years away, appears to possess an asteroid belt, a
zone where the leftovers of failed planets collide. Terrestrial planets are
those with rocky surfaces, as opposed to a gas composition.

Scientists estimate the star is about 30 million years old -- about the same age
as our sun when terrestrial planets like Earth were nearly formed.

"This is one of a very rare class of objects that may give us a glimpse into
what our solar system may have looked like," the Space Science Institute's Dean
Hines, who led the discovery, said in a statement.

Using the Spitzer Space Telescope, astronomers measured the temperature of the
debris disk to be minus 262 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 128 degrees Celsius),
warmer than other similar disks. The sun has a surface temperature between 5,000
and 7,000 degrees Fahrenheit (2,760 and 3,871 degrees Celsius).

Earlier this year, another team using the Spitzer telescope announced the
discovery of another asteroid belt orbiting a 2-billion-year-old sun-like star
35 light-years away.

Astronomers see sun-like star with possible planet formation








PASADENA, Calif. Astronomers say they're witnessing what may be the birth of
planets.

They've spotted a swirling debris cloud around a sun-like star where terrestrial
planets similar to Earth may be forming.

The star, located 137 light-years away, appears to possess an asteroid belt, a
zone where the leftovers of failed planets collide. Terrestrial planets are
those with rocky surfaces, as opposed to a gas composition.

Scientists estimate the star is about 30 (m) million years old -- about the same
age as our sun when terrestrial planets like Earth were nearly formed.

They hope a study of the process that could shed light on the birth of the solar
system.

Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be
published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


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