"Revealing the Weird and Wonderful Ways Planets Form in Galactic Nurseries"
Stunning new images released by the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope reveal the incredible variety of planet-forming discs surrounding young stars in the Milky Way, with swirling rings of gas and dust resembling bizarre objects like an eagle spreading its wings or a Japanese 'shuriken' throwing weapon. These planet-forming or 'protoplanetary' discs, located hundreds of light-years away, represent one of the largest surveys of their kind and show extraordinary diversity, with some appearing as perfect circles and others as asymmetrical blobs. The images, captured in infrared light, provide fascinating insights into star systems and suggest the possibility of massive planets embedded within the discs, potentially causing them to warp and become misaligned.