Overview

• New imaging of IRAS 04302+2247 combines Webb’s NIRCam and MIRI data with optical observations from the Hubble Space Telescope.
• The protoplanetary disk spans roughly 65 billion kilometers and lies about 525 light-years away in the Taurus star-forming region.
• The edge-on orientation exposes a central dark dust lane with twin reflection nebulas that give the system its butterfly-like appearance.
• Vertical structure measurements show tiny dust grains migrating toward the midplane, offering direct evidence of settling tied to early planet formation.
• The observations are part of Webb GO program #2562, led by F. Ménard and K. Stapelfeldt, which studies four edge-on disks to track dust evolution.