CoKu Tau 1 is a young binary system seen here to lie in the centre of four "wings" of light extending that extend out to about 800 AU from the binary. The "wing" shape has been created by outflowing gas, clearing the polar regions of the surrounding dusty environment. The thin dark lane that extends to the left and right of the binary suggests that a dusty circumbinary disk or ring surrounds the pair.

Image taken with the HST's NICMOS camera. In constellation of Taurus, 140 pc away. Most of the nebulae represent small dust particles around the stars, which are seen because they are reflecting starlight.

All photo credits: D. Padgett (IPAC/Caltech), W. Brandner (IPAC), K. Stapelfeldt (JPL) and NASA.
Taken from STSci Press Releases 9/2/99

Last Updated: 12 February 1999

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