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James Webb’s cosmic telescope was looking for exoplanets deep into the galaxy. | Credit: NASA/Adriana Manrique Gutierrez
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers went into one of the most intense regions of the Milky Way radiation, revealing that Earth -like planets can form even in criminal galaxy.
Observations expand the environment where the worlds can form, says researchers. In the past, astronomers thought that these harsh conditions could be unfavorable to the formation of the planets. Ultraviolet (UV) radiation “For a long time, it was thought to pose a serious threat to the formation of planets around nearby, smaller stars,” said Konstantin Getman, a professor of research in the Astronomy and Astrophysics Department and a new document describing conclusions.
However, the results announced on May 20th. The astrophysical journal shows that even under these harsh ultraviolet conditions, protopoplanetary discs – rotating gas and dust rings where planets are born – can still survive and develop.
“We can’t go back to time to explore how exoplanets are observed [today were] Formed: “Investigation co-author María Claudia Ramírez-Tannus, Max Planck Astronomical Institute of Astronomy in Heidelberg, Germany, Astronomer said Space.com.” Instead, we need to look for their younger colleagues who are planetary formation discs that exist in extreme ultraviolet radiation. “
The study was intended as 2023. A study that shows that Earth -like planets can actually occur in such a harsh environment. In a new study, an international team focused on the Xue 1 -Disk, surrounding a young star in this extreme environment to investigate the size, mass, temperature and chemical of the disk.
The Xue 1 is bathed with ultraviolet radiation, which is much more intense than anything ever experienced by our solar system. “Actually, if the Xue 1 were to be built in our solar system at the sun, it would receive 100,000 times less UV energy every second,” said Boyron Portill Revelo, Podctoratory Astronomy and Astrophysics Department.
The artist’s view of an exoplanet with a harsh atmosphere. | Credit: David A. Aguilas (CFA)
“A very different idea”
JWST was the key to the new discovery. The telescope changed the study of irradiated protoplanetary discs, offering sensitivity and distinctive capacity needed to observe them from thousands of light -years. “JWST is the only instrument with sensitivity to observe relatively weak discs in very distant regions,” said Ramírez-Tannus.
The team took advantage of the JWST middle infrared instrument (Miri), which captures space in the middle infrared wavelength. They used 2023. Collected observations supplemented by additional observations of the visible and infrared telescope astronomy, the Habble Space telescope and Spitzer space telescope.
This data allowed the team to monitor the emissions from the disk, which are 5,500 light -years. To interpret observations, the team introduced the first thermochemical calculation model encouraged by JWST/MIRI, and archive data to mimic as light, heat and chemical reactions interact with the Xue 1 Protoplanet disk.
Thermochemical models provide a great advantage in exploring the planetary discs as they allow astronomers to explore details such as how much material is for the formation of planets. “It’s very important to understand how planetary systems like our own,” Portilla Revelo said.
On the other hand, thermochemical models are calculated and require an effective amount of data. The Xue 1 has been poorly spotted so far, making it difficult to model due to limited data.
The model developed synthetic light spectra, which were later compared to real data. By combining modeling with observations, the researchers concluded about the critical properties of the disk, including its temperature, density and chemical makeup.
Their analysis revealed a compact, shortened disk, where intensive ultraviolet radiation significantly changes both gas temperature and chemistry. Among the most prominent conclusions was the presence of water-one of the main ingredients of the Earth-like planets-net in such a hostile environment.
Most importantly, modeling has also shown that the inner disk region – a zone where a rocky, potentially inhabited planets may form – appear to be screened with the worst radiation of ultraviolet rays.
“Our model shows that the deepest part of the disk where planetary land can be formed, does not seem to affect the harmful external UV radiation,” Portilla Revelo said.
“Before observations, scientists had a very different idea of what the spectrum would look like,” he added. “Our modeling helps explain why the JWST spectrum looks like it does. Although UV light from nearby stars has a major impact on the external disk regions – where giant planets are likely to form, it has little direct impact on the inner regions that are a source of light detected by JWST.”
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The results indicate that the formation of the planet may be more resistant than previously thought, resulting in an expanded environment where life -threatening worlds can emerge and offer a rare look at various kindergartens of our galaxy.
“While studying more of these regions – especially those exposed to strong UV lights from nearby massive stars, we can better understand how such an intense environment affects discs around the stars of all masses and sizes,” Getman said.