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Discovery of a large dust disk around the nearby star AU Microscopium

Paul Kalas·Michael C. Liu·Brenda C. Matthews
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Abstract

We present the discovery of a circumstellar dust disk surrounding AU Microscopium (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 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. Since 85% of stars are M-type, the AU Mic disk provides new clues on how the majority of planetary systems might form and evolve.

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Paul Kalas, Michael C. Liu, Brenda C. Matthews. 2004-03-05. Discovery of a large dust disk around the nearby star AU Microscopium. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1093420

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