A Candidate Protoplanet in the Taurus Star-forming Region
Abstract
Hubble Space Telescope/Near-Infrared Camera and Multiobject Spectrometer images of the class I protostar TMR-1 (IRAS 04361+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 that its flux is consistent with a young giant planet of several Jovian masses.
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- November 1998
- DOI:
- 10.1086/311671
- arXiv:
- arXiv:astro-ph/9808302
- Bibcode:
- 1998ApJ...507L..71T
- Keywords:
-
- STARS: BINARIES: GENERAL;
- STARS: CIRCUMSTELLAR MATTER;
- INFRARED: STARS;
- STARS: PLANETARY SYSTEMS;
- STARS: FORMATION;
- STARS: INDIVIDUAL: ALPHANUMERIC: TMR-1;
- Stars: Binaries: General;
- Stars: Circumstellar Matter;
- Infrared: Stars;
- Stars: Planetary Systems;
- Stars: Formation;
- Stars: Individual: Alphanumeric: TMR-1;
- Astrophysics
- E-Print:
- 16 pages, 1 figure, Accepted by Astrophysical Journal Letters, Related information is available at http://www.extrasolar.com