Ultraviolet radiation no barrier to planet formation
The fundamental building blocks that form planets can exist even in environments hit by extreme ultraviolet radiation. A new study from an international collaboration led by Penn State astronomers used NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, along with sophisticated thermochemical modelling. They set out to investigate a protoplanetary disc, the dust and gas that surrounds a new star and can form planets or other celestial bodies.
The study was described in a paper in The Astrophysical Journal.
“Astronomers have long sought to understand how planets form within the swirling disks of gas and dust that encircle young stars,” said Bayron Portilla-Revelo, a postdoctoral researcher in astronomy and astrophysics in the Eberly College of Science at Penn State and lead author of the study. “These structures — referred to as protoplanetary disks — are the birthplaces of extrasolar systems, like our own solar system, which formed 4.5 billion years ago. Protoplanetary disks often form in proximity to massive stars that emit substantial amounts of ultraviolet (UV) radiation, potentially disrupting the disks and affecting their capability to form planets. While significant progress has been made by studying protoplanetary disks in nearby star-forming regions, these regions lack the intense UV radiation present in more massive and common stellar nurseries.”
Ultraviolet radiation on Earth is known to be a cause of skin cancer. In space, with no atmospheric filters, it can be far more intense.
The focus on the study was a young star known as XUE 1, about the size of the sun and located 5,500 light-years away in an area known as the Lobster Nebula. This area is known for being home to over 20 massive stars, two of which are among the largest in the galaxy and are extreme emitters of ultraviolet radiation. The team looked at over a dozen stars with protoplanetary discs that were subjected to intense radiation.
Combining their observations with sophisticated models, they identified the composition of tiny dust grains in the disc around the star that will one day form planets. They found that it contained sufficient solid materials to potentially form at least 10 planets, each similar to Mercury in size.
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