Discovery of rotating disc surrounding star in another galaxy a ‘special moment’

An artist’s impression shows the HH 1177 system, which is located in the Large Magellanic Cloud (ESO/M Kornmesser)

Astronomers have, for the first time, discovered a disc of gas and dust around a young star in another galaxy, describing it as a “special moment”.

An international team of experts led by Durham University reported the detection of the star and its rotating disc structure outside the Milky Way, around 163,000 light years from Earth.