Hubblecast 88: Mysterious ripples in a planet-forming disc

Hubble detects fast-moving ripple structures racing through the dust disc around Beta Pictoris, a young star just 63 light-years away. These concentric waves travel at hundreds of kilometres per second — far too fast to be explained by planetary companions. The episode examines the competing hypotheses, including a series of falling comets or interactions with a second stellar system nearby.