Free Astronomy Magazine May-June 2024

50 the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillime- ter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner. “I had never imagined that we could cap- ture an image of oceans of water vapour in the same region where a planet is likely forming,” says Stefano Facchini, an as- tronomer at the University of Milan, Italy, who led the study published in Nature As- tronomy . The observations reveal at least three times as much water as in all of Earth’s oceans in the inner disc of the young Sun-like star HL Tauri, located 450 light-years away from Earth in the constellation Taurus. “It is truly remarkable that we can not only detect but also capture detailed images and spatially re- solve water vapour at a distance of 450 light-years from us,” adds co-author Leonardo Testi, an as- tronomer at the University of Bologna, Italy. The ‘spatially re- solved’ observations with ALMA allow astronomers to determine the distribution of water in differ- ent regions of the disc. by ESO − Bárbara Ferreira New link found between water and planet formation R esearchers have found water vapour in the disc around a young star ex- actly where planets may be forming. Water is a key ingredient for life on Earth, and is also thought to play a significant role in planet formation. Yet, until now, we had never been able to map how water is dis- tributed in a stable, cool disc — the type of disc that offers the most favourable condi- tions for planets to form around stars. The new findings were made possible thanks to MAY-JUNE 2024 ASTRO PUBLISHING R esearchers have found water vapour in the disc around a young star exactly where planets may be forming. This video summarises the discovery. [ESO]