Enormous Cosmic Hamburger Stacked With Layers of Gas and Dust Provides Sneak Peek of Planet Formation

A cosmic burger known as Gomez's Hamburger, located approximately 453 light-years away from Earth, may be in the process of giving birth to a giant planet. The object, discovered by astronomer Arturo Gomez in 1985, is unique due to its layered composition of gas and dust, rather than being formed from terrestrial ingredients. Its structure and orientation provide astronomers with an extraordinary opportunity to witness the earliest stages of planet formation.

The term "Hamburger" is derived from the appearance of the object, which resembles a burger with two "buns" of light reflecting off dust and a dark band of dust in the center, similar to a patty. The system comprises a young star surrounded by a giant protoplanetary disk, with one side of the disk exhibiting more extended and brighter dust emission, potentially due to a vortex or disturbance that could aid in the formation of solid materials.

Utilizing the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in Chile, researchers observed the disk's vertical structure in great detail, mapping the location of millimeter-sized dust grains and various gas-phase molecules. They discovered that the dust is relatively thin and concentrated in the disk's midplane, while the gas extends far above and below, creating a distinctive "puffed-up" appearance.

Additionally, they identified a one-sided arc of sulfur monoxide emission, which aligns with a dense clump called "GoHam b," a potential region where material is collapsing and setting the stage for a massive, wide-orbit planet to form.