ALMA catches “intruder” redhanded in rarely detected stellar flyby event

Scientists have made the first comprehensive multi-wavelength observational study of an intruder object disturbing the protoplanetary disk—or birthplace of planets—surrounding the Z Canis Majoris star (Z CMa) in the constellation Canis Major. This composite image includes data from the Subaru Telescope, Jansky Very Large Array, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, revealing in detail the perturbations, including long streams of material, made in Z CMa’s protoplanetary disk by the intruding object.

Credit: ALMA (ESO/NAOJ/NRAO), S. Dagnello (NRAO/AUI/NSF), NAOJ