Astronomers using the James Webb Space Telescope observed water and molecules essential for the formation of rocky planets in highly irradiated regions of the Lobster Nebula. The discovery, part of the XUE program, expands the known environments in which rocky planets form, challenges previous beliefs, and provides new insights into the diversity of exoplanets.
Astronomers have discovered a variety of molecules that are the building blocks of rocky planets.
Space is a harsh environment, but some areas are even harsher than others. The star-forming region known as the Lobster Nebula is home to some of the galaxy’s most massive stars. Massive stars are hotter and therefore emit more ultraviolet (UV) light. That ultraviolet light falls on a planet-forming disk around a nearby star. Astronomers would expect ultraviolet light to break down many chemical molecules.but james webb space telescope detected various molecules in one such disc, including water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, and acetylene. Such molecules are one of the building blocks of rocky planets.
![Protoplanetary disk (artist concept)](https://scitechdaily.com/images/Protoplanetary-Disk-Artist-Concept-777x518.jpg)
This is an artist’s impression of a young star surrounded by a protoplanetary disk in which planets are forming. Credit: ESO
Webb Space Telescope reveals rocky planets can form in extreme environments
An international team of astronomers is using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to study water and other planet-forming regions in rocky planet-forming regions inside highly irradiated disks in one of the galaxy’s most extreme environments. We observed molecules for the first time. These results suggest that rocky planet formation conditions can occur in a wider range of environments than previously thought.
First results of the XUE program
These are the first results from the Extreme Ultraviolet Environment (XUE) James Webb Space Telescope program, which examines planet-forming disks – vast rotating masses of gas, dust, and rock where planets form and evolve. Focuses on characterization. A huge star-forming region. These regions are thought to be representative of the environments in which most planetary systems formed. For scientists, understanding the influence of the environment on planet formation is important to gain insight into the diversity of different types of exoplanets.
Research on the Lobster Nebula
The XUE program targets a total of 15 disks in three regions of the Lobster Nebula (also known as NGC 6357), a large emission nebula located approximately 5,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Scorpius. The Lobster Nebula is one of the youngest and closest massive star-forming complexes and is home to some of the most massive stars in the Milky Way. Massive stars are hotter and therefore emit more ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This can cause the gas to disperse, reducing the disk’s expected lifespan by as much as a million years. Thanks to Webb, astronomers can now study the effects of ultraviolet radiation on the inner Earth planet-forming regions of protoplanetary disks around stars like the Sun.
Unique features of the web
Team leader Maria Claudia Ramírez Tanus of Germany’s Max Planck Institute for Astronomy said: “Webb is the only project with the spatial resolution and sensitivity to study planet-forming disks in large star-forming regions. It’s a telescope.”
Astronomers aim to characterize the physical properties and chemical composition of the rocky planet-forming regions of the Lobster Nebula’s disk using the Webb Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) intermediate-resolution spectrometer. The first results focus on a protoplanetary disk called XUE 1 located in the star cluster Pimis 24.
Team member Arjan Bik from Stockholm University in Sweden added: “Only MIRI’s wavelength range and spectral resolution allows us to examine the molecular inventory and physical state of the warm gas and dust in which rocky planets form.” Ta.
Because of its location near several massive stars in NGC 6357, scientists expect that XUE 1 has been consistently exposed to large amounts of ultraviolet light throughout its life. But even in this extreme environment, the researchers detected a variety of molecules that are the building blocks of terrestrial planets.
“We found that the inner disk around XUE 1 is very similar to disks in nearby star-forming regions,” said team member Lens Waters of Radboud University in the Netherlands. “Along with water, molecules such as carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, hydrogen cyanide, and acetylene were detected. However, the emissions found were weaker than some models predicted. It could mean a smaller radius.”
“We are surprised and excited because this is the first time that these molecules have been detected under such extreme conditions,” added Lars Kuypers from Radboud University. The researchers also found small, partially crystalline silicate dust on the disk’s surface. This is thought to be a component of a rocky planet.
Impact on rocky planet formation
These results are possible because the scientific team found that conditions in the inner disk were similar to those seen in well-studied disks located in nearby star-forming regions where only low-mass stars form. This is good news for rocky planet formation. This suggests that rocky planets can form in a much wider range of environments than previously thought.
The researchers note that remaining observations from the XUE program are important for establishing the commonality of these conditions.
“XUE 1 shows that conditions exist for rocky planets to form, so the next step is to see how common they are,” Ramírez Tanús said. Masu. “We plan to observe other discs in the same region to determine how often these situations are observed.”
These results are of astrophysical journal.
Reference: “XUE: Molecular inventory of the interior regions of extremely irradiated protoplanetary disks” Maria Claudia Ramírez Tanus, Arjan Bick, Lars Kuypers, Rence Waters, Christiane Göppl, Thomas Henning , by Inga Kampf, Thomas Prebisch, Konstantin V. Getman, Germán Chaparro, Pablo Quartas Restrepo, Alex de Cotel, Eric D. Feigelson, Sierra L. Grant, Thomas J. Howarth, Sebastian Hernandez, Michael A. Kuhn, Julia Perotti, Matthew S. Povich, Megan Reiter, Veronica Roccatagliata, Elena Sabbi, Benoît Tabone, Andrew J. Winter, Anna F. McLeod, Roy Van Boekel, Silk E. Van Terwiga, November 30, 2023; of Astrophysics Journal Letter.
DOI: 10.3847/2041-8213/ad03f8
The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb unravels the mysteries of our solar system, looks to distant worlds around other stars, and explores the mysterious structure and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by: NASA With our partner ESA (european space agency) and the Canadian Space Agency.