IM Lupi
Young star with a massive disk and possible forming planet.
IM Lupi is a young stellar object located 508 light-years away, surrounded by a protoplanetary disk. It is notable for suspected ongoing planet formation, with a still-forming protoplanet possibly orbiting at 110 astronomical units.
Quick Facts
- Distance
- 508 light-years (156 parsecs)
- Spectral type
- M0
- Class
- Class II YSO
- Suspected protoplanet distance
- 110 AU
Facts from the source article.
Did You Know?
- IM Lupi is associated with the Lupus 2 Molecular Cloud.
- The star is probably not actively accreting, but accretion may be variable.
- The star was classified as a class II YSO with spectral type M0.
Protoplanetary Disk
The disk is very massive, containing both gas and dust. The gas extends to 751 AU, while the dust reaches 334 AU. Scattered light imaging with SPHERE revealed the upper and part of the lower disk surface. ALMA dust observations show two rings, and SPHERE detected two additional rings. A spiral pattern appears in ALMA 1.25 mm observations and is also imprinted on the dusty surface seen by SPHERE. ALMA's 12CO observations trace the gas and show 16 kinks deviating from Keplerian motion. These kinks and spirals may be caused by an undetected planet of 2-3 Jupiter masses at about 110 AU, or possibly by gravitational instability.
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