Discovery of a large dust disk around the nearby star AU Microscopii.
- Authors
- Type
- Published Article
- Journal
- Science
- Publisher
- American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)
- Publication Date
- Mar 26, 2004
- Volume
- 303
- Issue
- 5666
- Pages
- 1990–1992
- Identifiers
- PMID: 14988511
- Source
- SETI Institute
- License
- Unknown
Abstract
We present the discovery of a circumstellar dust disk surrounding AU Microscopii (AU Mic, GJ 803, HD 197481). This young M star at 10 parsec has the same age and origin as beta Pictoris, another nearby star surrounded by a dust disk. The AU Mic disk is detected between 50 astronomical units (AU) and 210 AU radius, a region where dust lifetimes exceed the present stellar age. Thus, AU Mic is the nearest star where we directly observe the solid material required for planet formation. Because 85% of stars are M-type, the AU Mic disk provides new clues on how the majority of planetary systems might form and evolve.
