Using the James Webb Space Telescope, a team of astronomers studied the properties of a planet-forming disk around a young and very low-mass star. The results reveal the richest hydrocarbon composition seen to date in a protoplanetary disk, including the first extrasolar detection of ethane and a relatively low abundance of oxygen-bearing species. By including previous similar detections, this finding confirms a trend of disks around very low-mass stars to be chemically distinct from those around more massive stars like the Sun, influencing the atmospheres of planets forming there.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have spotted hints of a third planet in the disk of gas and dust that surrounds an infant star, as well as signs of moon formation.
Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have spotted hints of a third planet in the disk of gas and dust surrounding an infant star, as well as signs of moon formation.
New protoplanet discovered 374 light-years away earthsky.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from earthsky.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.