5 reactions
Webb Detects Water Vapor in Rocky Planet-Forming Zone (Artist Illustration)On our planet, water is life. But how did it get here? Are there similar environments around other stars?
Webb has us one step closer to the answers. In a still-developing “solar system,” Webb detected water in the zone where rocky planets like Earth may form.
PDS 70 is a K-type star cooler than our Sun. Around it is a huge disk made up of planet-forming materials, including 2 known gas giant planets in the making. Webb found water vapor in the inner disk of PDS 70, within 100 million miles of the star.
Though we’ve seen water in similar disks, Webb’s discovery is the first detection of water in the “rocky planet zone” of a system known to have 2 or more developing planets. That means if rocky planets someday form around PDS 70, they’ll have water ready and waiting.
Follow-up observations will dive deeper into new mysteries, such as the origins of the water around PDS 70. In turn, studying other worlds will help us gain insight into our own. More: go.nasa.gov/3O8NL2j
This image: ARTIST ILLUSTRATION
This artist concept portrays the star PDS 70 and its inner protoplanetary disk. New measurements by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have detected water vapor at distances of less than 100 million miles from the star – the region where rocky, terrestrial planets may be forming. This is the first detection of water in the terrestrial region of a disk already known to host two or more protoplanets, one of which is shown at upper right.
Credits
Image
NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)
Image description: Left of center, a bright light source illuminates a surrounding disk colored dusky red. The disk has spiral features and a scattering of small, rocky objects. At upper right, there is a gap through which background stars can be seen. At the outer edge of the gap is a dusky globe representing a gas giant planet. Beyond it is additional disk material, some of which is falling onto the planet.
#nasa #jameswebb #space #telescope #science
Webb has us one step closer to the answers. In a still-developing “solar system,” Webb detected water in the zone where rocky planets like Earth may form.
PDS 70 is a K-type star cooler than our Sun. Around it is a huge disk made up of planet-forming materials, including 2 known gas giant planets in the making. Webb found water vapor in the inner disk of PDS 70, within 100 million miles of the star.
Though we’ve seen water in similar disks, Webb’s discovery is the first detection of water in the “rocky planet zone” of a system known to have 2 or more developing planets. That means if rocky planets someday form around PDS 70, they’ll have water ready and waiting.
Follow-up observations will dive deeper into new mysteries, such as the origins of the water around PDS 70. In turn, studying other worlds will help us gain insight into our own. More: go.nasa.gov/3O8NL2j
This image: ARTIST ILLUSTRATION
This artist concept portrays the star PDS 70 and its inner protoplanetary disk. New measurements by NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope have detected water vapor at distances of less than 100 million miles from the star – the region where rocky, terrestrial planets may be forming. This is the first detection of water in the terrestrial region of a disk already known to host two or more protoplanets, one of which is shown at upper right.
Credits
Image
NASA, ESA, CSA, Joseph Olmsted (STScI)
Image description: Left of center, a bright light source illuminates a surrounding disk colored dusky red. The disk has spiral features and a scattering of small, rocky objects. At upper right, there is a gap through which background stars can be seen. At the outer edge of the gap is a dusky globe representing a gas giant planet. Beyond it is additional disk material, some of which is falling onto the planet.
#nasa #jameswebb #space #telescope #science
| 16,000 mlx | |
| 57 | |
| 5 |