{"id":371631,"date":"2026-04-02T18:59:09","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:59:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/371631\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T18:59:09","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T18:59:09","slug":"star-light-star-bright-baby-stars-blow-rings-alight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/371631\/","title":{"rendered":"Star light, star bright, baby stars blow rings alight"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\"The<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

image:\u00a0<\/p>\n

An artist\u2019s rendering of the molecular cloud core of MC 27 based on observations from the ALMA telescope. The protostar and the disk surrounding it are shown in the lower right, with warm gas extending outward in a ring-like structure, with magnetic field lines penetrating the interior of the ring.<\/p>\n

view more\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

Credit: Y. Nakamura, K. Tokuda et al.<\/p>\n

Fukuoka, Japan\u2014Researchers have uncovered new insights into the early development of baby stars. Publishing in The Astrophysical Journal Letters,<\/a> a research team from Kyushu University and Kagawa University reports that during the early growth period of a baby star, the protostellar disk\u2014the dense disk of gas and dust that surrounds the star\u2014expels magnetic flux and forms a giant warm ring of gas about 1,000 au (astronomical units) in size. The research team explains that these \u201csneezes\u201d of matter and magnetic energy help the baby star release excess energy, leading to proper star formation.<\/p>\n

One of the many mysteries that the universe holds is how stars like our Sun are born. Stars are born in areas of the cosmos called stellar nurseries, where gas and dust coalesce to form early stars called protostars. The best way to understand star formation is to observe these stellar nurseries; however, this can be difficult due to the aforementioned gas and dust obscuring the baby star.<\/p>\n

\u201cThankfully, one of the most promising ways to get a clear view of protostars is to use the Atacama Large Millimeter\/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile,\u201d explains Professor Masahiro N. Machida<\/a> of Kyushu University\u2019s Faculty of Science<\/a>, who led the study. \u201cThis radio telescope lets us see the different materials that make up stellar nurseries.\u201d<\/p>\n

Over the last decade, the team has been using ALMA to study the protostars in the stellar nursery in the Taurus Molecular Cloud. Our Sun is about 4.6 billion years old, and a star is considered a \u201cnewborn\u201d if it\u2019s around 100,000 years old. The baby star the team studied is younger than that.<\/p>\n

In their previous research, the team found that the protostellar disk of a baby star forms spike-like structures approximately 10 au in size through magnetic activity. These \u201csneezes,\u201d as the researchers describe them, are critical for ejecting excess energy from the baby star. In their new findings, the team collected data on the molecular cloud core MC 27 and discovered a much larger ring-shaped gas structure 1,000 au in size near the baby star.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur data showed that this ring is slightly warmer than its surroundings. We hypothesize that it is produced through a magnetic field threading the protostellar disk. In essence, the \u201csneezes\u201d we\u2019ve observed in the past, but at a much bigger scale,\u201d explains first author Kazuki Tokuda<\/a> from Kagawa University. \u201cThe warm ring we detected this time strengthens our hypothesis that baby stars undergo dynamic magnetic-gas redistribution shortly after birth, generating shock waves that warm the surrounding gas.\u201d<\/p>\n

The team intends to gather more high-resolution images from ALMA to see what is inside these rings and to understand the nature of the phenomenon. Moreover, since this is their first study, they plan to search the ALMA archive for more data on baby stars in different regions of the universe.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were very surprised by these results because we didn\u2019t expect to find such a clear ring. I was so excited that I drafted this paper in two to three days,\u201d continues Tokuda.<\/p>\n

Machida concludes, \u201cWe will keep collecting data to strengthen our hypothesis. In the meantime, we welcome rigorous debate on our results so we can advance our field. The gas motion involved in star formation is generally ordered, yet very chaotic, appearing in different shapes and sizes. It took us a decade to reach these conclusions, and we look forward to doing more work to uncover the mysteries of the universe.\u201d<\/p>\n

###<\/p>\n

For more information about this research, see “ALMA Band 9 CO (6\u20135) Reveals a Warm Ring Structure Associated with the Embedded Protostar in the Cold Dense Core MC 27\/L1521F,” Kazuki Tokuda, Mitsuki Omura, Naoto Harada, Ayumu Shoshi, Naofumi Fukaya, Toshikazu Onishi, Kengo Tachihara, Kazuya Saigo, Tomoaki Matsumoto, Yasuo Fukui, Akiko Kawamura, and Masahiro N. Machida The Astrophysical Journal Letters, https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3847\/2041-8213\/ae47ec<\/a><\/p>\n

About Kyushu University\u00a0
Founded in 1911, Kyushu University<\/a> is one of Japan’s leading research-oriented institutions of higher education, consistently ranking as one of the top ten Japanese universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings and the QS World Rankings. Located in Fukuoka, on the island of Kyushu\u2014the most southwestern of Japan\u2019s four main islands\u2014Kyushu U sits in a coastal metropolis frequently ranked among the world\u2019s most livable cities and historically known as Japan\u2019s gateway to Asia. Its multiple campuses are home to around 19,000 students and 8,000 faculty and staff. Through its VISION 2030<\/a>, Kyushu U will \u201cdrive social change with integrative knowledge.\u201d By fusing the spectrum of knowledge, from the humanities and arts to engineering and medical sciences, Kyushu U will strengthen its research in the key areas of decarbonization, medicine and health, and environment and food, to tackle society\u2019s most pressing issues.<\/p>\n

About Kagawa University
Kagawa University is located in Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture, on the island of Shikoku\u2014Japan\u2019s smallest of the four main islands\u2014and sits in a coastal city known for its mild climate and close connection to the Seto Inland Sea. Kagawa University boasts six faculties and six graduate schools, currently educating about 5,600 undergraduate students and around 900 graduate students. The history of Kagawa University dates back to 1949, when it was founded as a national university with two faculties: the Faculty of Economics, which originated from Takamatsu College of Economics, and the Faculty of Education, which was based on the Kagawa Normal School and Kagawa Normal School for Youth. Subsequent expansions led to the establishment of the Faculty of Agriculture in 1955, the Faculty of Law in 1981, and the Faculty of Engineering in 1987. Furthermore, in 2003, Kagawa University was reborn as the new Kagawa University through a merger with Kagawa Medical University, founded in 1980.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Journal<\/p>\n

The Astrophysical Journal Letters<\/p>\n

Method of Research<\/p>\n

Experimental study<\/p>\n

Subject of Research<\/p>\n

Not applicable<\/p>\n

Article Title<\/p>\n

ALMA Band 9 CO (6\u20135) Reveals a Warm Ring Structure Associated with the Embedded Protostar in the Cold Dense Core MC 27\/L1521F<\/p>\n

Article Publication Date<\/p>\n

2-Apr-2026<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"image:\u00a0 An artist\u2019s rendering of the molecular cloud core of MC 27 based on observations from the ALMA…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":371632,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[85,46,141],"class_list":{"0":"post-371631","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-science","8":"tag-il","9":"tag-israel","10":"tag-science"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371631","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=371631"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/371631\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/371632"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=371631"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=371631"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=371631"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}