Overview
- Cataloged as IRAS 23077+6707 and nicknamed “Dracula’s Chivito,” the disk spans nearly 400 billion miles, about 40 times the diameter of our solar system.
- The structure appears unusually turbulent and vertically extended, with bright wisps far above and below the disk seen only on one side while the opposite edge looks sharply truncated.
- Researchers estimate a mass of roughly 10 to 30 Jupiters, indicating enough material to form multiple gas giant planets.
- The central source is hidden by dust, and scientists say it may be either a single hot, massive star or a close pair of stars.
- The peer-reviewed results and Hubble imagery were published Dec. 23, 2025 in The Astrophysical Journal, setting up targeted follow-up investigations across multiple observatories.