Discovery of a large dust disk around the nearby star AU Microscopium
Preprint
- 5 March 2004
Abstract
We present the discovery of a circumstellar dust disk surrounding AU Microscopium (AU Mic, GJ 803, HD 197481). This young M star at 10 parsec has the same age and origin as beta Pictoris, another nearby star surrounded by a dust disk. The AU Mic disk is detected between 50 AU and 210 AU radius, a region where dust lifetimes exceed the present stellar age. Thus, AU Mic is the nearest star where we directly observe the solid material required for planet formation. Since 85% of stars are M-type, the AU Mic disk provides new clues on how the majority of planetary systems might form and evolve.Keywords
All Related Versions
- Version 1, 2004-03-05, ArXiv
- Published version: Science, 303 (5666), 1990.
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