 Artist's impression of Oph-IRS 48's dust disk | |
| Observation data Epoch J2000 Equinox J2000 | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Right ascension | 16h 27m 37.18s [1] |
| Declination | −24° 30′ 35.3″ [1] |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 14.80 [2] |
| Characteristics | |
| Spectral type | B5-F2 [1] |
| Astrometry | |
| Proper motion (μ) | RA: −9.190 [2] mas/yr Dec.: −23.995 [2] mas/yr |
| Parallax (π) | 7.4375±0.1157 mas [2] |
| Distance | 439 ± 7 ly (134 ± 2 pc) |
| Details [1] | |
| Mass | 2 M☉ |
| Luminosity | 14.3 L☉ |
| Other designations | |
| IRAS 16245-2423, 2MASS J16273718-2430350 Gaia DR2 6049145880875631744 | |
| Database references | |
| SIMBAD | data |
Oph-IRS 48, nicknamed the Cosmic Croissant for its unique shape, is a star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk, about 444 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus. [3] The disk has changed the view of planet formation in astronomy. Studies have shown that the millimeter dust particles are gathered in a crescent shape, while the gas (traced by CO molecules) and small dust grains follow a full disk ring structure. [3] [4] [5] The centimeter grains are even more concentrated inside the crescent. [6] This structure is consistent with theoretical predictions of dust trapping. Also the chemical composition has been studied, with molecules like H2CO being present. [7] The dust trap is thought to be conducting the process of planet formation in this young system.
