Around IRAS 13481-6124

The object IRAS 13481-6124, which consists of a young central star, about 20 times the mass of our Sun and 5 times its radius, surrounded by its pre-natal cocoon, is the first massive baby star for which astronomers could obtain an image of a dusty disc closely encircling it, providing direct evidence that massive stars do form in the same way as their smaller brethren — and closing an enduring debate.

IRAS 13481-6124 is located in the constellation of Centaurus, about 10 000 light-years away.