In a major leap for space science, the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has revealed that protoplanetary disks — the birthplace of planets — can form and survive in some of the most extreme environments in the Milky Way. This finding challenges previous beliefs and expands the possibilities for where habitable planets may emerge.
Planets Born Under Intense Radiation
Astronomers used JWST to study a highly radioactive star-forming region in our galaxy. They found that even in zones bombarded with intense ultraviolet (UV) radiation, planet-forming disks can remain stable and evolve. “UV radiation was long thought to prevent planet formation,” explained Dr. Konstantin Getman, a Penn State astronomer involved in the research. But this new study, published in The Astrophysical Journal, suggests otherwise.
Studying XUE 1’s Harsh Conditions
The international team focused on XUE 1, a young star encircled by a glowing disk of dust and gas. XUE 1 sits in a region where UV radiation is over 100,000 times stronger than what reaches our solar system. “If placed in our solar system, XUE 1 would experience a tiny fraction of the UV radiation it faces now,” said lead researcher Bayron Portilla Revelo.
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Despite these punishing conditions, the protoplanetary disk around XUE 1 remains intact, offering rare insight into how planets might begin life even in extreme zones.
Revolutionizing Observations with JWST
The discovery was made possible through JWST’s Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI), which allows scientists to observe faint light from faraway objects. Researchers also used archived data from the Hubble, Spitzer, and VISTA telescopes. Together, these observations helped model the disk’s structure, temperature, and chemical composition using the first JWST-based thermochemical simulations.
A New Perspective on Planet Formation
This breakthrough shifts the scientific view on planet formation. “We can’t observe how today’s exoplanets formed,” said co-author María Claudia Ramírez-Tannus. “But by studying young disks like XUE 1, we understand where and how habitable worlds might arise — even in space’s harshest regions.”
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