A disc of dust and gas found around a newborn planet could be the birthplace of moons
- Written by Valentin Christiaens, Research Fellow in Astrophysics, Monash University
The bright spot in the centre of the image is a new planet forming. Valentin Christiaens et al./ ESO, Author provided
When Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei first spotted four moons of Jupiter through a telescope, he realised that not everything goes around the Earth, as was the prevailing theory in 1610.
The presumed origin of the Galilean moons...
Read more: A disc of dust and gas found around a newborn planet could be the birthplace of moons