A Candidate Protoplanet in the Taurus Star Forming Region
Abstract
HST/NICMOS images of the class I protostar TMR-1 (IRAS04361+2547) reveal a faint companion with 10.0" = 1400 AU projected separation. The central protostar is itself resolved as a close binary with 0.31" = 42 AU separation, surrounded by circumstellar reflection nebulosity. A long narrow filament seems to connect the protobinary to the faint companion TMR-1C, suggesting a physical association. If the sources are physically related then we hypothesize that TMR-1C has been ejected by the protobinary. If TMR-1C has the same age and distance as the protobinary then current models indicate its flux is consistent with a young giant planet of several Jovian masses.
Cite
@article{arxiv.astro-ph/9808302,
title = {A Candidate Protoplanet in the Taurus Star Forming Region},
author = {S. Terebey and D. Van Buren and D. L. Padgett and T. Hancock and M. Brundage},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:astro-ph/9808302},
year = {2009}
}
Comments
16 pages, 1 figure, Accepted by Astrophysical Journal Letters, Related information is available at http://www.extrasolar.com