4.2 Protoplanetary discs

In your journey through the course, you have seen many images of the Orion constellation, and of the Orion Nebula, which occurs towards the tip of Orion’s sword.

Images of the Orion Nebula, taken by the Hubble Space Telescope, show that it is a region where new stars are forming. Many hundreds of stars are being created; many of them seem to be surrounded by discs of dust which might become planetary systems.

Figure 13 is a small selection of the protoplanetary discs in the Orion Nebula. The images were taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

Next, you’ll find out how protoplanetary disc form.