Loops of Gas and Dust Rise from Planetary Disks
Sig14 005

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech/R. Hurt (IPAC)

Artwork • March 6th, 2014 • sig14-005

sig14-005

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.

About the Object

Name
Type
Star > Circumstellar Material > Disk > Protoplanetary