HUBBLE OBSERVES FLAPPING SHADOW IN SPACE
The Hubble Space Telescope has recently observed something fascinating happening in space.
A planet-forming disk around a young star named HBC 672 is casting a huge shadow resembling a pair of flapping wings.
Hubble captured one image of this giant shadow in 2017...
...but when Hubble looked at it again later, scientists realized that the shadow had moved.
When you compare the images back to back, the giant “wings” appear to flap.
A planet’s gravity could be warping the disk into the shape of a saddle, causing the shadow to change as the disk rotates.
With 30 years of observations, Hubble can watch celestial objects change over time to better understand how the universe works.
[ INTENSE MUSIC ]