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Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

Music: \"Hyperborea\" from Killer Tracks.

Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel.

Complete transcript available.

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An alternative explanation suggests the dust and gas in the disk can form the patterns themselves when they interact with starlight.

When high-energy UV starlight hits dust grains, it strips away electrons. Those electrons collide with and heat nearby gas. As the gas warms, its pressure increases and it traps more dust, which in turn heats more gas. The resulting cycle, called the photoelectric instability (PeI), can work in tandem with other forces to create some of the features astronomers have previously associated with planets in debris disks.

A 2013 study suggested PeI could explain the narrow rings seen in some disks. The model also predicted that some disks would have arcs, or incomplete rings, which weren’t directly observed in a disk until 2016.

The new simulation includes an additional new factor: radiation pressure, a force caused by starlight striking dust grains.

Light exerts a minute physical force on everything it encounters. This radiation pressure propels solar sails and helps direct comet tails so they always point away from the Sun. The same force can push dust into highly eccentric orbits, and even blow some of the smaller grains out of the disk entirely.

The new research modeled how radiation pressure and PeI work together to affect the movement of dust and gas, and also found that the two forces manifest different patterns depending on the physical properties of the dust and gas.", "items": [], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 328025, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12807/#media_group_328025", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "GIF of a new simulation performed on NASA's Discover supercomputing cluster that shows how dust and gas in a circumstellar disk could form patterns without planets.

Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center

", "items": [ { "id": 252307, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 408283, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012800/a012807/Disk_Simulation.gif", "filename": "Disk_Simulation.gif", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "GIF of a new simulation performed on NASA's Discover supercomputing cluster that shows how dust and gas in a circumstellar disk could form patterns without planets.Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center", "width": 511, "height": 500, "pixels": 255500 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 328026, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12807/#media_group_328026", "widget": "Video player", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Download the NASA disk simulation at full-resolution version.

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Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center", "items": [ { "id": 252318, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 408290, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012800/a012807/sliceXY.rhop.008.1511921870.33.png", "filename": "sliceXY.rhop.008.1511921870.33.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Same as above, with additioanl scales showing the physical size of the disk and the density of dust. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center", "width": 6400, "height": 4800, "pixels": 30720000 } }, { "id": 252317, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 408292, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012800/a012807/Disk_6400x4800_H264_1080p.mov", "filename": "Disk_6400x4800_H264_1080p.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Same as above, with additioanl scales showing the physical size of the disk and the density of dust. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center", "width": 1440, "height": 1080, "pixels": 1555200 } }, { "id": 252319, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 408295, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012800/a012807/Disk_6400x4800_H264_1080p.webm", "filename": "Disk_6400x4800_H264_1080p.webm", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Same as above, with additioanl scales showing the physical size of the disk and the density of dust. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center", "width": 1440, "height": 1080, "pixels": 1555200 } }, { "id": 252314, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 408293, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012800/a012807/Disk_6400x4800_ProRes.mov", "filename": "Disk_6400x4800_ProRes.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Same as above, with additioanl scales showing the physical size of the disk and the density of dust. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center", "width": 6400, "height": 4800, "pixels": 30720000 } }, { "id": 252315, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 408291, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012800/a012807/frames/6400x4800_4x3_30p/", "filename": "6400x4800_4x3_30p", "media_type": "Frames", "alt_text": "Same as above, with additioanl scales showing the physical size of the disk and the density of dust. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center", "width": 6400, "height": 4800, "pixels": 30720000 } }, { "id": 252316, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 408294, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012800/a012807/Disk_6400x4800_H264_4K.mov", "filename": "Disk_6400x4800_H264_4K.mov", "media_type": "Movie", "alt_text": "Same as above, with additioanl scales showing the physical size of the disk and the density of dust. Credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center", "width": 3072, "height": 2304, "pixels": 7077888 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 328028, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12807/#media_group_328028", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Arcs, rings and spirals appear in the debris disk around the star HD 141569A. The black region in the center is caused by a mask that blocks direct light from the star. This image incorporates observations made in June and August 2015 using the Hubble Space Telescope's STIS instrument.

Credit: NASA/Hubble/Konishi et al. 2016", "items": [ { "id": 252320, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 408296, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012800/a012807/HD_141569A_HST_Konishi_et_al_2016.png", "filename": "HD_141569A_HST_Konishi_et_al_2016.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Arcs, rings and spirals appear in the debris disk around the star HD 141569A. The black region in the center is caused by a mask that blocks direct light from the star. This image incorporates observations made in June and August 2015 using the Hubble Space Telescope's STIS instrument.Credit: NASA/Hubble/Konishi et al. 2016", "width": 2939, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6348240 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 328029, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12807/#media_group_328029", "widget": "Single image", "title": "", "caption": "", "description": "Labeled version of the above.

Credit: NASA/Hubble/Konishi et al. 2016

", "items": [ { "id": 252321, "type": "media", "extra_data": null, "title": null, "caption": null, "instance": { "id": 408297, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a012800/a012807/HD_141569A_HST_Konishi_et_al_2016_labels.png", "filename": "HD_141569A_HST_Konishi_et_al_2016_labels.png", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Labeled version of the above.Credit: NASA/Hubble/Konishi et al. 2016 ", "width": 2939, "height": 2160, "pixels": 6348240 } } ], "extra_data": {} }, { "id": 328030, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/12807/#media_group_328030", "widget": "Basic text", "title": "For More Information", "caption": "", "description": "See [https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/no-planets-needed-nasa-study-shows-disk-patterns-can-self-generate](https://www.nasa.gov/feature/goddard/2018/no-planets-needed-nasa-study-shows-disk-patterns-can-self-generate)", "items": [], "extra_data": {} } ], "studio": "gms", "funding_sources": [ "NASA Astrophysics" ], "credits": [ { "role": "Producer", "people": [ { "name": "Scott Wiessinger", "employer": "USRA" } ] }, { "role": "Science writer", "people": [ { "name": "Jeanette Kazmierczak", "employer": "University of Maryland College Park" }, { "name": "Francis Reddy", "employer": "Syneren Technologies" } ] }, { "role": "Scientist", "people": [ { "name": "Marc Kuchner", "employer": "NASA/GSFC" } ] } ], "missions": [], "series": [ "Astrophysics Features", "Astrophysics Simulations", "Narrated Movies" ], "tapes": [], "papers": [ "https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.07982", "https://arxiv.org/abs/1709.07982" ], "datasets": [], "nasa_science_categories": [ "Universe" ], "keywords": [ "Ast", "Astrophysics", "Edited Feature", "HDTV", "Music", "Planets", "Simulation", "Star", "Supercomputer" ], "recommended_pages": [], "related": [ { "id": 11896, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11896/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "The Planet Around Beta Pictoris Makes Waves", "description": "Watch: Erika Nesvold and Marc Kuchner discuss how their new supercomputer simulation helps astronomers understand Beta Pictoris.Music:\"Deep Layer\" by Lars Leonhard, courtesy of the artist.Watch this video on the NASA Goddard YouTube channel. Video credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight CenterFor complete transcript, click here. || Beta_Pic_Disk_Sim_Still.jpg (1920x1080) [330.2 KB] || Beta_Pic_Disk_Sim_Still_print.jpg (1024x576) [96.2 KB] || Beta_Pic_Disk_Sim_Still_thm.png (80x40) [5.3 KB] || 11896_Beta_Pic_Disk_ProRes_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [3.5 GB] || 11896_Beta_Pic_Disk_H264_Best_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [2.1 GB] || 11896_Beta_Pic_Disk_H264_Good_1920x1080_2997.mov (1920x1080) [321.8 MB] || 11896_Beta_Pic_Disk_MPEG4_1920X1080_2997.mp4 (1920x1080) [100.6 MB] || G2015-052_Beta_Pic_Disk_Final_appletv.m4v (960x540) [97.4 MB] || G2015-052_Beta_Pic_Disk_Final_1280x720.wmv (1280x720) [109.6 MB] || 11896_Beta_Pic_Disk_H264_Good_1920x1080_2997.webm (1920x1080) [30.4 MB] || G2015-052_Beta_Pic_Disk_Final_appletv_subtitles.m4v (960x540) [97.3 MB] || G2015-052_Beta_Pic_Disk_Final_ipod_lg.m4v (640x360) [41.5 MB] || 11896_Beta_Pictoris_Disk_SRT_Transcript.en_US.srt [5.5 KB] || 11896_Beta_Pictoris_Disk_SRT_Transcript.en_US.vtt [5.5 KB] || G2015-052_Beta_Pic_Disk_Final_ipod_sm.mp4 (320x240) [20.7 MB] || ", "release_date": "2015-06-25T13:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:49:38.857101-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 442845, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011800/a011896/GIF_Still.jpg", "filename": "GIF_Still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Loopable video and gif of the simulated Beta Pictoris disk rotated through 360 degreesCredit: NASA Goddard Scientific Visualization Studio", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "pixels": 1166400 } }, { "id": 11302, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/11302/", "page_type": "Produced Video", "title": "Debris Disks Make Patterns Without Planets", "description": "A study by NASA scientists sounds a cautionary note in interpreting rings and spiral arms as signposts for new planets. Thanks to interactions between gas and dust, a debris disk may, under the right conditions, produce narrow rings on its own, no planets needed.Many young stars known to host planets also possess disks containing dust and icy grains, particles produced by collisions among asteroids and comets also orbiting the star. These debris disks often show sharply defined rings or spiral patterns, features that could signal the presence of orbiting planets. Astronomers study the structures as a way to better understand the physical properties of known planets and possibly uncover new ones. When the mass of gas is roughly equal to the mass of dust, the two interact in a way that leads to clumping in the dust and the formation of patterns. Effectively, the gas shepherds the dust into the kinds of structures astronomers would expect to see if a planet were present.Lyra and Kuchner refer to this as the photoelectric instability and developed a simulation to explore its effects. This animation shows how the process alters the density of dust in a debris disk and rapidly leads to the formation of rings, arcs and oval structures. || ", "release_date": "2013-07-12T14:00:00-04:00", "update_date": "2023-05-03T13:52:00.670836-04:00", "main_image": { "id": 464186, "url": "https://svs.gsfc.nasa.gov/vis/a010000/a011300/a011302/Video_Still.jpg", "filename": "Video_Still.jpg", "media_type": "Image", "alt_text": "Watch the changing dust density and the growth of structure in this simulated debris disk. Dust quickly collects into clumps and then forms arcs and rings, structures similar to what astronomers observe in actual debris disks. As the dust heats the gas, the gas pressure increases and changes the drag force experienced by the dust. This essentially herds the dust into clumps that grow into larger patterns. The panel at left shows the disk from an angle of 24 degrees; at right, the disk is face-on. Lighter colors indicate higher dust density. For clarity, the animation does not show light from the central star. The disk extends about 100 times the average distance between Earth and the sun (100 AU, or 9.3 billion miles), which is comparable to the outer edge of our solar system’s Kuiper Belt.Credit: NASA Goddard/W. Lyra (JPL-Caltech), M. Kuchner (Goddard)Watch this video on the NASAexplorer YouTube channel.", "width": 1280, "height": 720, "pixels": 921600 } } ], "sources": [], "products": [], "newer_versions": [], "older_versions": [], "alternate_versions": [] }