Webb Telescope Captures Rare Glimpse ofโ Moon Formation Around Distant Planet
GREENBELT,MD – The James Webb Space Telescope has observed a planet-forming disk with enough material to potentially birth multiple moons,offering an unprecedented look at the processes thatโข create these celestial bodies.This โdiscovery โขprovides critical insights into how moons form, not just inโ our solar system, butโฃ around โฃplanets throughout the universe.
Scientists are utilizingโ Webb to study these disks around young planets to understand the diversity of their physical โคand chemical properties. “We’re trying to understand how it all works,” said team member Cugno. “How do these moons come to be? What are their ingredients? What โphysical processes are at play, and over what timescales? Webb allows us to witness the drama of moon formation and investigate these questions observationally for the first time.”
The observation focusesโค on a massive planet โsurrounded by a significant disk of gas and dustโข – โthe raw materials for moon creation. By examining similar objects in the coming year through a comprehensive survey โฃ(https://www.stsci.edu/jwst/science-execution/program-information?id=7538), researchers aim to determine theโค range of โคconditions under which moonsโ can form.
Understanding moon formation is โchallenging because the process is largely obscured in our own solar system,โข where moons have already โformed.Studyingโ these distant systems, still actively building moons, offers a unique prospect to test existing โtheories and refine our understanding of planetary system evolution.webb’s capabilities allow scientists to analyze the composition and structure ofโ these disks, revealing clues about the ingredients and mechanisms driving moonโฃ formation.
the James webb Space Telescope โisโฃ an international program lead by NASA in partnership with the European Space Agency (ESA) and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). It โis designed to solve mysteries in our solar system, explore distant worlds around โother stars, andโค investigate the origins of the universe.
More informationโค about the โWebb Telescopeโ is โขavailable at: https://science.nasa.gov/webb.
Read more: https://science.nasa.gov/missions/webb/nasas-webb-finds-planet-forming-disks-lived-longer-in-early-universe/
Explore more: https://viewspace.org/interactives/unveiling_invisible_universe/detecting_other_worlds/direct_imaging
Explore more: https://science.nasa.gov/asset/webb/how-to-study-exoplanets-webb-and-challenges/
Read more: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/science-overview/science-explainers/webbs-star-formation-discoveries/
More Webb News: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/latestnews/
More Webb Images: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/multimedia/images/
Webb Science Themes: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/science-overview/
Webb Missionโฃ Page: https://science.nasa.gov/mission/webb/
What is the Webb Telescope?: โคhttps://spaceplace.nasa.gov/james-webb-space-telescope/en/
SpacePlace for Kids: https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/