Exploring High-radiation Planetary Disks

Produced by the Space Telescope Science Institute’s Office of Public Outreach in collaboration with NASA’s Universe of Learning partners: Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Video imagery:

·       Composite image of NGC 6357. X-ray: NASA/CXC/PSU/L.Townsley et al; Optical: UKIRT; Infrared: NASA/JPL-Caltech

·       Illustration of a young planetary system: ESO

·       Webb mid-infrared spectrum of XUE 1: NASA, ESA, CSA, María Claudia Ramírez-Tannus (MPIA), Joseph Olmsted (STScI)

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Different scenes from space, including stars, galaxies, nebulas, planets. Text, News from the Universe. 

 

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December 15, 2023. Exploring High-Radiation Planetary Disks. An enhanced photo of the Lobster Nebula, a star field surrounded by orange and purple gas clouds. 

 

Text, In the star-forming region known as the Lobster Nebula, astronomers are using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope to study the effect of ultraviolet radiation on planet formation. 

 

A thin disk of material illuminated by the sun. Text, Massive stars emit high levels of ultraviolet radiation, which are thought to obliterate molecules — and the rocky planets they could eventually form. 

 

A line chart of irradiated protoplanetary disk shows different wavelengths of light from different chemicals. Text, Webb's findings in the disk named X U E 1 were a surprise. Despite the ultraviolet exposure, scientists detected water. carbon dioxide, and other components of rocky worlds. Webb is expanding our understanding of how the universe works, including the types of environments where rocky planets could potentially form. 

 

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Text, this news was brought to you in part by Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland.