Giant cosmic 'sandwich' is the largest planet-forming disk ever seen — Space photo of the week

This Hubble Space Telescope image shows the largest planet-forming disk ever observed around a young star. (Image credit: NASA, ESA, STScI, Kristina Monsch (CfA); Image Processing: Joseph DePasquale (STScI))

QUICK FACTS

What it is: IRAS 23077+6707, the largest planet-forming disk ever observed

Where it is: 978 light-years away, in the constellation Cepheus

When it was shared: Dec. 23, 2026

The Hubble Space Telescope has captured a spectacular new image of the largest and most unusual protoplanetary disk ever observed around a single star. The object, officially known as IRAS 23077+6707 and nicknamed "Dracula's Chivito," is a dusty disk that resembles a sandwich.