Using the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope, astronomers have created an extraordinary set of images showing debris disks in a wide range of exoplanetary systems. These dusty structures reveal where small bodies orbit their stars and provide rare insights into the earliest stages of planetary development. Gaël Chauvin (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy), project scientist for SPHERE and co-author of the study, explains: "This data set is an astronomical treasure. It provides exceptional insights into the properties of debris disks, and allows for deductions of smaller bodies like asteroids and comets in these systems, which are impossible to observe directly." In our own solar system, once you look past the Sun, the planets, and dwarf planets such as Pluto, an enormous variety of smaller ("minor") bodies comes into view. Those that occasionally release gas and dust to form visible features like a tail are called comets, while those that do not show such activity are labeled asteroids. These small bodies preserve clues to the solar system's earliest days. During the long process in which tiny grains grew into planets, intermediate objects known as planetesimals formed. In this sense, they are (somewhat) altered traces of the same ingredients that once built Earth. Astronomers have identified more than 6000 exoplanets (that is, planets orbiting stars other than the Sun), giving us a clearer picture of how planetary systems vary throughout the galaxy. Fewer than 100 exoplanets have been photographed so far, and even the largest ones appear only as featureless points of light. This challenge becomes even greater when searching for small bodies. The other indirect methods used to detect exoplanets are no help, either." By observing that dust, astronomers can infer details about the unseen small bodies producing it. Dust can be pushed outward by radiation pressure from the central star, swept up by planets or planetesimals, or spiral inward and fall into the star. Under especially dark skies, sunlight scattered by this dust can be seen shortly after sunset or before sunrise as a faint glow called zodiacal light. For observers studying our solar system from afar, these faint leftovers would be hard to detect. The new research, however, shows that similar dusty structures around younger systems should be visible for roughly the first 50 million years of a debris disk's lifetime. SPHERE, which began operating on one of ESO's Very Large Telescopes (VLT) in spring 2014, was created specifically for such situations. The fundamental idea behind SPHERE is familiar from everyday experience. If the Sun is shining directly into your eyes, you might raise a hand to shield the glare so you can see what lies around it. SPHERE uses a coronagraph to achieve the same effect when imaging exoplanets or debris disks. This method only works if the optical system remains extremely stable and precise. To maintain this stability, SPHERE relies on a highly advanced version of adaptive optics. Turbulence in Earth's atmosphere distorts incoming starlight, and SPHERE continually monitors these distortions and corrects them in real time using a deformable mirror. An optional component can also isolate "polarized light," which is characteristic of light reflected by dust rather than emitted directly from a star. This additional filtering enhances SPHERE's ability to detect faint debris disks. A major survey reveals 51 debris disks in sharp detail Four of the disks had never been imaged before." Working with such a large sample makes it possible to find broader patterns. Systems where dust is concentrated farther from the star also show a tendency toward more massive disks. Many show rings or band-like patterns, with material clustered at specific distances from the star. These structures are thought to be shaped by planets, especially large ones that clear out paths as they orbit. Some of the planets responsible have already been detected. In other cases, sharp edges or asymmetries in the disks strongly suggest the presence of planets that have not yet been directly observed. Instruments on the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) and the Extremely Large Telescope (ELT) under construction by ESO should be capable of directly imaging at least some of the planets that are sculpting these dusty rings and gaps. The results described here have been published as Natalia Engler et al., "Characterization of debris disks observed with SPHERE," in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics. The MPIA researchers involved are Gaël Chauvin, Thomas Henning, Samantha Brown, Matthias Samland, and Markus Feldt, in collaboration with Natalia Engler (ETH Zürich), Julien Milli (CNRS, IPAG, Université Grenoble Alpes), Nicole Pawellek (University of Vienna), Johan Olofsson (ESO), Anne-Lise Maire (CNRS, IPAG, Université Grenoble Alpes), and others. Stay informed with ScienceDaily's free email newsletter, updated daily and weekly. Or view our many newsfeeds in your RSS reader: Keep up to date with the latest news from ScienceDaily via social networks: Tell us what you think of ScienceDaily -- we welcome both positive and negative comments.