A dusty disk of leftover material from star formation surrounds a young sun in this animation. Tiny dust grains in the disk can build up layers of ice and other material over thousands of years, and eventually be swept up by forming planets. Credit: NASA-JPL, Robert L. Hurt (Caltech). | Space Telescope Science Institute

When hunting for planets outside our solar system, scientists typically search for patterns like rings, arcs and spirals in disks of dust and gas around young stars because those patterns are often considered a sign that an unseen planet orbits a star. But this new simulation shows that planets aren’t the only explanation: http://go.nasa.gov/2mj7xLu | NASA - National Aeronautics and Space Administration