Blog Post Image: How Planets Form: Astronomers Weigh a Protoplanetary Disk with Unprecedented Accuracy

This artist’s illustration shows a planetary disk that weighs the equivalent of 50 Jupiter-mass planets. It demonstrates a first-of-its-kind feat from astronomers using the Herschel Space Observatory. The scientists were able to weigh the planet-forming contents swirling around a young star with the most precision yet. The observations revealed enough gas to make the equivalent of 50 Jupiters, or five solar systems like our own. Herschel is a European Space Agency mission with important NASA participation. Image credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech