Surprising Discoveries in Space: Newborn Planets and Stellar Midwives
Shadows flickering around TW Hydrae, a young star, suggest the presence of three off-kilter disks of material, indicating the formation of multiple baby planets. The disks' gravitational interactions cause them to incline slightly with respect to each other, producing shadows that dim the reaches of the disk more distant from the star. This is consistent with the Solar System's architecture, offering insights into how its orbital inclinations got to be the way they are.