Astronomers have made a groundbreaking discovery, imaging dozens of cometary belts around nearby stars. For the first time, scientists have observed these structures, which are composed of tiny pebbles and rocks orbiting around 74 different stars.
The study, published in Astronomy & Astrophysics, used a joint program between two facilities: the Submillimeter Array (SMA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The REASONS survey revealed regions around these stars where comets and pebbles are orbiting, providing insights into the formation of stars and planetary systems.
The research team, led by Luca Matrà from Trinity College Dublin, used ALMA and SMA to detect specific bands of radio waves that are particularly effective at finding and imaging small structures. The resulting images show a wide range of belt types, including narrow rings and wider disks, some with multiple orbits.
These discoveries offer clues about the birth and evolution of planetary systems, as well as the potential presence of undetectable planets or moons affecting the distribution of pebbles in these systems. The study provides an extraordinary opportunity for future investigation using advanced telescopes like the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the next generation of Extremely Large Telescopes.
The REASONS dataset will enable further research into the properties of exocometary belts, including their age, size, and composition. This breakthrough discovery marks a significant milestone in the study of cometary belts outside our solar system.
Source: https://phys.org/news/2025-02-astronomers-largest-comets-solar.html