Exoplanets
Dracula’s Chivito (IRAS 23077+6707)
December 23, 2025 · NASA · IRAS 23077+6707; Dracula's Chivito · Cepheus
Zoom to full resolution See where it is in the 3D sky Original on NASA ↗
This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the largest planet-forming disk ever observed around a young star. It spans nearly 400 billion miles — 40 times the diameter of our solar system. Tilted nearly edge-on as seen from Earth, the dark, dusty disk resembles a hamburger. Hubble reveals it to be unusually chaotic, with bright wisps of material extending far above and below the disk—more than seen in any similar circumstellar disk. Cataloged as IRAS 23077+6707, the system is located approximately 1,000 light-years from Earth. The discovery marks a new milestone for Hubble and offers fresh insight into planet formation in extreme environments across the galaxy.
About the colours
These images were acquired by the WFC3 Instrument on the Hubble Space Telescope. The color results from assigning different hues (colors) to a monochromatic (grayscale) image. In this case, the assigned colors are: Blue: F438W+F606W, Green: F814W+F105W, Red: F125W+F160W
About the data
The Hubble observations include those from program 17751 (K. Monsch)
