Carl Melis
UCLA
 

"The Ultimate Mid-Life Crisis: Active Accretion of Gas and Dust and Planet Formation around Old Stars"
 

We have recently discovered a new class of first ascent giants orbited by substantial gaseous and dusty disks that are sometimes accreting onto the giant stars. These old stars, who are nearing the end of their lives, are experiencing a rebirth into the characteristics typically associated with newborn stars. It is possible that a new generation of planet formation is occurring around these gas- and dust-enshrouded giant stars.