No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 12 April 2016
We summarize the observed properties and deduced physical characteristics of the Beta Pictoris circumstellar nebula obtained from a detailed analysis of existing IR and optical data. On the basis of these results, we reject the hypothesis that the observed feature is a bipolar nebula surrounding an evolved star. We claim the nebula is a flattened disk of orbiting particles making up a planetary system in its clearing out phase as small grains collide, erode, and are swept out by radiation pressure.