Astronomers have discovered a star around 800 light years away that has the appearance of a sandwich when viewed edge-on.
They have nicknamed it “Dracula’s Chivito” after a Uruguayan sandwich.
It is surrounded by a large protoplanetary disk of gas and dust that bisects the star, making it look like it is sandwiched.
The disk is about 0.2 solar masses and 1,650 astronomical units in size, making it the largest edge-on protoplanetary disk discovered.
Dracula’s Chivito is still young at 2.5 solar masses and 8,000 Kelvin. It has “fangs” that are remnants of its formation envelope.
Only one other “sandwich star” has been found before, called “Gomez’s Hamburger.”
Edge-on views like this can provide new insights into early star and planet formation processes.
Its location away from known star-forming regions also makes it unique and there may be more discoveries to make.
source: futurism
