Astronomers find the biggest known batch of planet ingredients swirling around young star

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Astronomers have discovered what they believe is the biggest known batch of planet-making ingredients in the cosmos. The colossal disk of gas and dust is swirling around a young star 1,000 light-years away. This so-called protoplanetary disk is roughly 3,300 times the distance between Earth and the sun. And it has enough material to form super-sized planets in far-flung orbits. First spotted in 2016, the disk was not confirmed to be a hotbed for new, emerging planets until recent observations by telescopes in Hawaii. The disk is about double the size of the previous record-holder.