Dust trap animation

6 June, 2013 / Read time: 1 minute

This artist’s rendering shows the behaviour of different sized particles in the disc of dust that surrounds Oph-IRS 48 system. The bigger particles, millimeters in diameter, tend to clump together in a safe haven that allows them to grow even further, eventually forming boulders and then comets.
Credit: ESO/L. Calçada