Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Mohsin Shaikh
For the first time, astronomers have utilised the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe water and essential molecules within the inner regions of a protoplanetary disc situated in one of the galaxy's most extreme environments
JWST's findings challenged existing beliefs about the formation of rocky planets, suggesting that such processes were not confined to calm regions around low-mass stars but could also occur in the extreme environments of massive stars, according to a report by India Today
The discoveries stemmed from the eXtreme UV Environments (XUE) program, using JWST's capabilities to analyse planet-forming discs in areas dominated by massive stars, has offered insights into diverse conditions for exoplanet emergence
The Lobster Nebula (NGC 6357), situated approximately 5,500 light-years away in constellation Scorpius, served as the focal point for the research, hosting some of the most colossal stars known for generating intense ultraviolet radiation
The powerful radiation from massive stars had the potential to disperse gas within surrounding discs, significantly shortening their lifespan to a mere million years in cosmic terms
JWST's unique sensitivity and spatial resolution has positioned it as the sole observatory capable of probing planet-forming discs in formidable regions dominated by massive stars
The XUE program concentrated on the protoplanetary disc named XUE 1 within the Pismis 24 star cluster, where JWST detected a suite of molecules, including water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, and acetylene—critical ingredients for rocky world creation
Maria Claudia Ramirez-Tannus, leading the team from the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy, underscored the significance of JWST's Medium Resolution Spectrometer (MRS) within the Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) for delving into the molecular composition and physical conditions of the warm gas and dust crucial to terrestrial planet formation
The composition of the inner disc around XUE 1 mirrored those in less hostile star-forming regions, indicating that fundamental processes for rocky planet formation might be universal. However, weaker-than-expected molecular emissions suggested a smaller outer disc radius
The implications of JWST's observations suggested that Earth-like planets could form in a more diverse range of environments than previously assumed. As additional data from the XUE program become available, researchers will be more closely positioned to determine the prevalence of these planet-friendly conditions across the galaxy