Artist's impression of a disk surrounding a young giant star. Astronomers have for the first time been able to clearly look at a disk of dust closely surrounding a young giant star. This discovery provides direct evidence that massive stars form in the same way as their smaller brothers and thus closes a heated debate. The artist's rendering shows what such a massive disk might look like. Photo: ESO/L. Calçada

Artist's impression of a disk surrounding a young giant star. Astronomers have for the first time been able to clearly look at a disk of dust closely surrounding a young giant star. This discovery provides direct evidence that massive stars form in the same way as their smaller brothers and thus closes a heated debate. The artist's rendering shows what such a massive disk might look like. Photo: ESO/L. Calçada