15 August 2001
Researchers think they have spotted evidence for the recent birth of millions of comets around a relatively nearby star. If true, it would be one of only a handful of observations that hint at possible solar system formation similar to our own.
The star, called Beta Pictoris, is about 60 light-years away. Previous observations had shown a huge disk of dust and gas surrounding the star, a situation similar to the early years of our solar system. Beta Pictoris is thought to be just 20 million years old, whereas our Sun is now some 4.6 billion years old.
A paper discussing the work appears in the Aug. 16 issue of the journal Nature.
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