September 25, 2025

[Press Release] Motion of Planet-Forming Spirals Captured on Video

ALMA observations of the spiral patterns in the disk around the young star IM Lup.（Credit: ALMA(ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), Tomohiro Yoshida et al.）

Abstract

The Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) has captured the motion of spirals of dust around a young star and shown that the winding motion of the spiral pattern is conducive to planet formation. This provides new evidence for planet formation around this young star. The results could have implications for other young stars as well.

For Details/Press Release

ALMA (Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array)

NAOJ（National Astronomical Observatory of Japan）

Researchers Involved in this Release

Tomohiro Yoshida (NAOJ/SOKENDAI)
Hideko Nomura (NAOJ/SOKENDAI)
Kiyoaki Doi (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy)
Marcelo Barraza-Alfaro (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Richard Teague (Massachusetts Institute of Technology)
Kenji Furuya (RIKEN)
Yoshihide Yamato (RIKEN)
Takashi Tsukagoshi (Ashikaga University)

Coordinated Release Organizations

National Astronomical Observatory of Japan
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
RIKEN
The Graduate University for Advanced Studies, SOKENDAI
Ashikaga University

Paper

Tomohiro C. Yoshida et al. "Winding Motion of Spirals in a Gravitationally Unstable Protoplanetary Disk", in Nature Astronomy, DOI: 10.1038/s41550-025-02639-y