In the vast expanse of the cosmos, countless elements and compounds converge in cosmic clouds, offering the basic building blocks needed for the formation of planets. Now, astronomers have stumbled upon what they assert is the biggest known reservoir of <keyword id="21666978" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="planet-forming-ingredients" source="keywords">planet-forming ingredients</keyword> identified to date, swirling around a young star.<br /><br />The gargantuan disk, located about 1000 light-years from Earth, boasts a diameter approximately 3,300 times greater than the distance between Earth and the sun! Given its size, it is believed to house an ample supply of gas and dust capable of birthing super-sized planets in far-flung orbits.<br /><br />Dubbed <keyword id="21666980" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="IRAS-23077" source="keywords">IRAS 23077</keyword>, this planet-forming disk — referred to as a <keyword id="21666979" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="protoplanetary-disk" source="keywords">protoplanetary disk</keyword> by astronomers — presents a striking resemblance to a butterfly in the images captured. The dark, dusty strip at the centre mirrors the elongated body of a butterfly, while the blue and white lobes evoke its wings, with two narrow filaments resembling antennae.<br /><br />Encircling a star situated 1,000 light-years away, this disk was initially detected in 2016. However, it was only recently confirmed as a prolific <keyword id="21666981" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="nursery-for-nascent-planets" source="keywords">nursery for nascent planets</keyword> through observations conducted by telescopes in Hawaii. <br /><br />Lead author <keyword id="21666983" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="kristina-monsch" source="keywords">Kristina Monsch</keyword> of the <keyword id="21666982" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="Harvard-Smithsonian-Center-for-Astrophysics" source="keywords" meta.keywordsubtype="org" meta.entityname="Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics" meta.hostid="261" meta.entityid="Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics">Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics</keyword> has expressed excitement over the potential insights this colossal and gas-rich disk could offer regarding “the birth and evolution of worlds beyond our own”.<br /><br />Monsch adds that this disk, double the size of the previous record-holder, holds promise for NASA's Hubble and Webb space telescopes. These instruments may be able to discern the ongoing formation of planets akin to Jupiter or larger within the disk's confines. <br /><br />The quest to uncover such celestial bodies will continue in full force. According to Monsch, some worlds are probably already out there, and “we just have to look for them”.<br /><br />These findings were detailed in Monday's edition of <em>Astrophysical Journal Letters</em> and can be accessed <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.3847/2041-8213/ad3bb0">here</a>.

Butterfly basin: Astronomers find the biggest known reservoir of planet-forming ingredients around a young star!

<p>Farms, roads, and towns are slicing up the world's wilderness, leaving 70% of the world's remaining forested land less than half a mile from a forest edge, according to reserach published in the journal <a href="http://www.eurekalert.org/jrnls/sciadvances/pages/2015-03/haddad-03-20-15.php" target="_parent">Science Advances</a>.</p><p>The report examined forests on five different continents and included data that covers the past 35 years. The researchers concluded that a rising human population is putting more pressure on forest animals and plants, which suffer greater risk of extinction as their habitats become fragmented.</p><p><strong>"We found the results surprising and frightening,"</strong> Nick Haddad, a professor of biological sciences at North Carolina University who led the study, told Reuters. "The signs are all still downwards."</p><p>The Amazon and Congo basins were the main areas where vast tracts of forests remained far from human activity, according to maps published with the study. Still, there's a very visible decline:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/550c6af1ecad0428557c0091-1200-632/haddad8hr.jpg" border="0" alt="amazon forest disappearing"><p class="source"><span>Clinton Jenkins</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>In these maps of South America and Africa, only the blue color shows areas that are greater than half a mile from the forest's edge:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/550c6d7decad046d617c008c-1200-1715/haddad12hr.jpg" border="0" alt="amazon rainforest disappearing"><p class="source"><span>Joe Sexton and Danxia Song</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/550c6de669beddc702b5030a-1200-1715/haddad15hr.jpg" border="0" alt="congo forest disappearing, africa"><p class="source"><span>Joe Sexton and Danxia Song</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div> In Asia, New Guinea, Russia, Canada and the Nordic nations, human activity steadily encroached on other huge forests.</p><p>Again, only the areas in blue represent forests that are more than one half mile from the forest's edge:</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table full"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/550c6e7869beddd704b5030e-1200-1715/haddad16hr.jpg" border="0" alt="north america forests disappearing"><p class="source"><span>Joe Sexton and Danxia Song</span></p></img></div><p></p></div></div></p><p>Overall, the scientists wrote that "70 percent of remaining forest is within one km of the forest's edge" - equivalent to a few city blocks.</p><p>"The expansion of human populations will inevitably continue to reduce and fragment natural areas," they wrote, unless there were gains in agricultural yields and efficiency.</p><p>Another scientific report in 2011 projected that the world's cropland would have to expand by 18 percent by 2050 from the current 1.53 billion hectares (3.78 billion acres) to feed a rising world population. And other estimates indicate that urban areas will also have to expand sharply, to 0.18 billion hectares by 2030.</p><p>The study said animals and plants are under threat from fragmentation which puts forests in range of humans, changing micro-climates and new, rival species from outside the forests.</p><p>"Fragmented habitats reduce the diversity of plants and animals by 13 to 75 percent, with the largest negative effects found in the smallest and most isolated fragments of habitat," it said.</p><p>Deforestation is a threat to animals ranging from jaguars in Brazil to orangutans in Indonesia, as well as other creatures such as birds, butterflies and frogs in addition to many rare plants. In 2010, governments agreed a goal of setting aside 17 percent of the world's land area in wildlife parks and other protected areas by 2020, up from 12.7 percent in 2010.</p><p>(Reporting By Alister Doyle; Editing by Larry King)</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/secret-forest-prehistoric-trees-wollemi-2014-10">Scientists Are Planting A Forest Of Prehistoric Trees - And They Won't Tell Anyone Where Exactly It Is</a></h3>        <div>            <div>    <script src="http://player.ooyala.com/v3/6e12e8b3387a44daacfb73afba25a76e"></script>    <div class="ooyala-video-player" data-video-autoplay="false" data-video-id="hoanQycTpwc86o7MHWoYHn6kXtYh8jEd" data-player-variable="ooyalapopvideo" id="ooyalaplayer_popvideo" style="width:1280px;height:720px"></div>    <script>    if (typeof RunFunctions === 'undefined') { var RunFunctions = []; }     RunFunctions.push(function()    {         var ooyalapopvideo = OO.Player.create('ooyalaplayer_popvideo', 'hoanQycTpwc86o7MHWoYHn6kXtYh8jEd',{ autoplay: 'false' });     });    </script>    <noscript><div>Please enable Javascript to watch this video</div></noscript></div>        </div>        <script>(function() { function createPlayer() { OO.ready(function() { RunFunctions.forEach(function(ooyalaFunction) { ooyalaFunction(); }); RunFunctions = [];}); } createPlayer(); }()); </script>    </div>

You Searched For "Butterfly basin" and got 4 results

Butterfly basin: Astronomers find the biggest known reservoir of planet-forming ingredients around a young star!

Kunal Kambli

Maps show how humans are destroying the world's forests

Reuters,Kelly Dickerson

An indigenous tribe in Washington is strategically placing beavers around to help salmon

Ben Goldfarb, bioGraphic

Apple's smart photo app will be way behind Google's - here's why

Kif Leswing