Zoom-in on IRAS 13481-6124
Astronomers have been able to obtain the first image of a dusty disc closely encircling a massive baby star, providing direct evidence that massive stars do form in the same way as their smaller brethren — and closing an enduring debate.
The team of astronomers looked at an object, known by the cryptic name of IRAS 13481-6124. About twenty times the mass of our Sun and five times its radius, the young central star, which is still surrounded by its pre-natal cocoon, is located in the constellation of Centaurus, about 10 000 light-years away.
Oikeudet:ESO/Digitized Sky Survey 2/Spitzer/NASA/JPL/S. Kraus. Music: John Dyson (from the album "Moonwind")