The inner ring of GW Orionis: model and SPHERE observations

ALMA, in which ESO is a partner, and the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope have imaged GW Orionis, a triple star system with a peculiar inner region. The new observations revealed that this object has a warped planet-forming disc with a misaligned ring. In particular, the SPHERE image (right panel) allowed astronomers to see, for the first time, the shadow that this ring casts on the rest of the disc. This helped them figure out the 3D shape of the ring and the overall disc. The left panel shows an artistic impression of the inner region of the disc, including the ring, which is based on the 3D shape reconstructed by the team.

Credit:

ESO/L. Calçada, Exeter/Kraus et al.

About the Image

Id:eso2014a
Type:Artwork
Release date:3 September 2020, 20:00
Related releases:eso2014
Size:4033 x 2074 px

About the Object

Name:GW Orionis
Type:Milky Way : Star : Grouping : Triple
Milky Way : Star : Circumstellar Material : Disk : Protoplanetary
Category:Stars

Image Formats

Large JPEG
602.3 KB
Publication JPEG
591.9 KB
Screensize JPEG
75.2 KB

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