A strange planet-forming disk is full of carbon dioxide in the regions where Earth-like planets could form, new observations from the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) show.
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Typically, such planet-forming disks contain water, but " water is so rare in this system that it is barely detectable – a dramatic contrast to what we usually observe ," Jenny Frediani , a doctoral student at Stockholm University's Department of Astronomy and lead author of the study, said in a statement
The findings, published August 29 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, challenge current ideas about planet formation.
The team isn't yet sure what's happening to the star in NGC 6357, which is located 8,000 light-years from Earth, Frediani said. However, further research into this system could help us understand more about the formation of Earth-like planets.
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Typically, newborn stars are enveloped in clouds of gas. They create disks of material from which planets and other objects, such as comets or asteroids, can eventually form. But when the James Webb Space Telescope examined this star, known as XUE 10, it detected a surprise: the signature of carbon dioxide.
There are two theories that could explain the strange environment, Frediani explained. One possibility is a strong source of ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the newborn star or from some massive nearby stars.
Another reason could be due to the dust grains in the area. Instead of there being a lot of water covering the grains, perhaps the dust is filled with carbon dioxide "due to the particular local environmental conditions around the young star," he said.
JWST is located at a gravitationally stable point in space, known as a Lagrange, where it is far from light interfering with Earth or other celestial bodies. This remote location, combined with JWST's powerful mirrors, makes the telescope the only one sensitive enough to capture details about how planet-forming disks form in distant, massive star-forming regions, Frediani said.
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Frediani is part of the eXtreme Ultraviolet Environments collaboration, which is looking at how intense radiation fields affect the chemistry of disks around planet-forming stars. For now, the James Webb remains the consortium's best choice for observing this strange system, but some upcoming ground-based observatories and upgrades will help, Frediani said.
