As a nascent star undergoes its developmental stages, a surrounding accretion disk composed of interstellar dust and gas, known as a protoplanetary disk, likewise takes shape, poised to foster the genesis of new celestial bodies. Researchers have recently unveiled significant insights into IRAS 23077+6707, a system distinguished as the most expansive protoplanetary disk ever cataloged by astronomical instruments.
Initially identified in the preceding year, this cosmic formation resides approximately 1,000 light-years distant from our planet and boasts a diameter extending to nearly 644 billion kilometers (400 billion miles), a span exceeding the distance between the Sun and Pluto by over a hundredfold.
The designation IRAS 23077+6707 is also colloquially referred to as Dracula’s Chivito, a moniker paying homage to the celebrated Count Dracula of Transylvania and a substantial meat-filled sandwich that holds the esteemed position of Uruguay’s national culinary emblem.
Currently, a collaborative team of NASA scientists from both the United States and the United Kingdom has procured novel visual-spectrum imagery obtained via the Hubble Space Telescope. These observations illuminate the remarkably tumultuous and energized state of this colossal disk, alongside identifying potential contributors to its extraordinary dimensions.
“While both the Hubble Space Telescope and NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have provided glimpses of analogous structures within other protoplanetary disks, IRAS 23077+6707 affords us an unparalleled vantage point, enabling us to scrutinize its intricate substructures in visible light with an unprecedented degree of granularity,” states astrophysicist Kristina Monsch, affiliated with the Center for Astrophysics (CfA) in the United States.
“This unique characteristic renders the system an invaluable new laboratory for the scientific investigation of planetary formation processes and the environmental conditions under which they transpire.”
IRAS 23077+6707 exhibits considerable divergence from the characteristics typically ascribed to conventional, textbook examples of protoplanetary disks. For instance, the ethereal tendrils of material extending outward from the system’s core traverse distances significantly greater than commonly observed.
Furthermore, its configuration is notably asymmetrical. Extensive gaseous filaments are observed to be accreting onto the disk from remote extents, yet this influx is predominantly concentrated on a single side. The opposing flank presents a more defined boundary, with substantially less planetary material encircling the central star.
While further diligent investigation is essential to fully comprehend the implications of these findings, the research consortium posits that interactions with ambient gas, stellar winds, or the system’s intrinsic motion may be the underlying factors responsible for these striking observational phenomena.
“The level of meticulous detail we are discerning is infrequently encountered in imagery of protoplanetary disks, and these recent Hubble observations underscore the potential for planetary nurseries to exhibit far greater dynamism and disorder than previously theorized,” comments Monsch. “We are observing this disk from an almost edge-on perspective, and its diaphanous upper strata, coupled with its asymmetrical features, are particularly striking.”
The system has been bestowed with the evocative appellation Dracula’s Chivito, a tribute to two of the astrophysicists involved in its discovery, one hailing from Transylvania and the other from Uruguay.
Although these discoveries necessitate rigorous interpretation, the NASA research cadre is enthusiastically embracing the opportunity to conduct in-depth analyses of the dynamic processes at play within such a complex and unconventional system. Additional photometric measurements, alongside an extended temporal examination of the system, are anticipated to yield further enlightenment as this protoplanetary disk gradually stabilizes.
Based on the available material, it is estimated that this system possesses sufficient mass to coalesce into 10 to 30 planets the size of Jupiter, presenting an intriguing scenario for studying the initiation of planet formation under conditions of unusual and energetic influences. Although the complete process of planetary development spans millions of years, astronomers will be afforded the opportunity to capture temporal snapshots of this evolution from IRAS 23077+6707 over considerably shorter timescales.
“The Hubble Space Telescope has provided us with an exceptional vantage point to witness the chaotic mechanisms that shape accretion disks during the construction of new planets—mechanisms that remain incompletely understood but are now accessible for study through novel methodologies,” explains astrophysicist Joshua Bennett Lovell, also from the CfA.
