Star's Planets Might Have Mountains of Diamonds

By Ker Than
published

Star's Planets Might Have Mountains of Diamonds
This 1997 image of the circumstellar disk around the southern star Beta Pictoris shows (in false colors) the light reflected by dust around the young star at infrared wavelengths. The disk is very close to edge-on. The Beta Pic disk is very likely an infant solar system in the process of forming terrestrial planets. (Image credit: Jean-Luc Beuzit, et al. Grenoble Observatory, European Southern Observatory)

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Ker Than
Staff Writer

Ker Than is a science writer and children's book author who joined Space.com as a Staff Writer from 2005 to 2007. Ker covered astronomy and human spaceflight while at Space.com, including space shuttle launches, and has authored three science books for kids about earthquakes, stars and black holes. Ker's work has also appeared in National Geographic, Nature News, New Scientist and Sky & Telescope, among others. He earned a bachelor's degree in biology from UC Irvine and a master's degree in science journalism from New York University. Ker is currently the Director of Science Communications at Stanford University.