VLT image of the protoplanetary disc around AB Aurigae (annotated)

Eso_potw2622b_1024

eso_potw2622b June 1st, 2026

Credit: ESO/A. Boccaletti et al.

This image, taken with the SPHERE instrument on ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) shows a disc of material around the young star AB Aurigae, where planets might be forming. Similar observations taken over the course of four years show the disc rotating around the star. The image to the right has been processed to highlight certain features of the disc, such as spiral arms and radial shadows cast by dense clumps of material. The shadows are indicated here with arrows. Links Research paper in Astronomy & Astrophysics Video showing the rotation of the disc Clean version of this image without arrows

Provider: European Southern Observatory

Image Source: https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2622b/

Curator: European Southern Observatory, Garching bei München, None, Germany

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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Image Details Image Details

Image Type
Observation
Object Name
AB Aurigae
Subject - Milky Way
Star > Circumstellar Material > Disk > Protoplanetary
Eso_potw2622b_1280
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ID
potw2622b
Subject Category
B.3.7.2.1  
Subject Name
AB Aurigae
Credits
ESO/A. Boccaletti et al.
Release Date
2026-06-01T06:00:00
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url
https://www.eso.org/public/images/potw2622b/
Type
Observation
Image Quality
Distance Notes
Facility
Instrument
Color Assignment
Band
Bandpass
Central Wavelength
Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID
Notes
Coordinate Frame
Equinox
Reference Value
Reference Dimension
1920.0, 1080.0
Reference Pixel
Scale
Rotation
Coordinate System Projection:
Quality
FITS Header
Notes
Creator (Curator)
European Southern Observatory
URL
https://www.eso.org
Name
Email
Telephone
Address
Karl-Schwarzschild-Strasse 2
City
Garching bei München
State/Province
None
Postal Code
D-85748
Country
Germany
Rights
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
Publisher
European Southern Observatory
Publisher ID
eso
Resource ID
potw2622b
Resource URL
https://www.eso.org/public/archives/images/original/potw2622b.tif
Related Resources
Metadata Date
2026-05-28T11:22:39+02:00
Metadata Version
1.1
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