1. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS78, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
2. Instituto de Astronomia, UNAM, Apartado Postal 70-264, 04510 Mexico DF, Mexico
3. Academica Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Taipei, Taiwan
4. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-IEEC, Gran Capita 2-4, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain
5. Laboratorio de Astrofísica Espacial y Física Fundamental, INTA, Apartado 50727, E-28080 Madrid, Spain
6. Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucia, CSIC, Apartado 3004, Camino Bajo de Huetor 50, E-18008 Granada, Spain
7. †Present address: UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK (J. M. T.)

Correspondence to: Nimesh A. Patel¹ Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to N.A.P. (Email: npatel@cfa.harvard.edu).

Abstract

The processes leading to the birth of low-mass stars such as our Sun have been well studied¹, but the formation of high-mass (over eight times the Sun's mass, M) stars remains poorly understood². Recent studies suggest that high-mass stars may form through accretion of material from a circumstellar disk³, in essentially the same way as low-mass stars form, rather than through the merging of several low-mass stars⁴. There is as yet, however, no conclusive evidence^{5, 6}. Here we report the presence of a flattened disk-like structure around a massive 15M protostar in the Cepheus A region, based on observations of continuum emission from the dust and line emission from the molecular gas. The disk has a radius of about 330 astronomical units (au) and a mass of 1 to 8 M. It is oriented perpendicular to, and spatially coincident with, the central embedded powerful bipolar radio jet, just as is the case with low-mass stars, from which we conclude that high-mass stars can form through accretion.

1. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, MS78, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138, USA
2. Instituto de Astronomia, UNAM, Apartado Postal 70-264, 04510 Mexico DF, Mexico
3. Academica Sinica Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics, Taipei, Taiwan
4. Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas-IEEC, Gran Capita 2-4, E-08034 Barcelona, Spain
5. Laboratorio de Astrofísica Espacial y Física Fundamental, INTA, Apartado 50727, E-28080 Madrid, Spain
6. Instituto de Astrofísica de Andalucia, CSIC, Apartado 3004, Camino Bajo de Huetor 50, E-18008 Granada, Spain
7. †Present address: UK Astronomy Technology Centre, Royal Observatory Edinburgh, Blackford Hill, Edinburgh EH9 3HJ, UK (J. M. T.)

Correspondence to: Nimesh A. Patel¹ Correspondence and requests for materials should be addressed to N.A.P. (Email: npatel@cfa.harvard.edu).

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