James Webb Telescope Takes Close-Up Shots of Planets in Young Star System

HR 8799 is a young star system, only about 30 million years old. The planets in this system are all gas giants and through the latest observations, scientists have discovered that they contain large amounts of carbon dioxide.

The new discovery strengthens the hypothesis that these planets formed in a similar way to Jupiter and Saturn in our solar system.

The James Webb Space Telescope has taken images of young giant exoplanets and detected carbon dioxide. Photo: X/SpaceTelescope

By detecting carbon dioxide, researchers can determine the presence of heavier elements such as carbon, oxygen and iron in the atmospheres of these planets, said astrophysicist William Balmer at Johns Hopkins University.

Direct observation of exoplanets is a major challenge because they are often obscured by the intense light from their host star. To overcome this, the team used a device called a coronagraph, integrated into James Webb's Near Infrared Camera (NIRCam), to block out the light from the star to better observe the planet.

Balmer describes the method as like holding up your hand to block the sun while looking up at the sky, so scientists can observe the light coming from the planet directly instead of just seeing its influence on the light from its host star.

The discovery provides important clues about how gas giants form. There are currently two main theories: One suggests they form by first accumulating a solid core, then sucking in lighter elements like carbon dioxide.

Another, more controversial hypothesis proposes that these planets may form rapidly from clouds of material surrounding a newborn star.

In the case of HR 8799, Balmer and his team's new observations suggest that the evidence favors the "core accretion" hypothesis. More research is needed to determine whether this is a common way gas giants form across the universe.

Laurent Pueyo, a co-author of the study, said the team is now seeking further observations from James Webb to confirm this conclusion. The goal is to image many other star systems to compare with our solar system, thereby better understanding the formation and evolution of planets.

Ngoc Anh (according to Futurism, Space)

Source: https://www.congluan.vn/kinh-vien-vong-james-webb-chup-can-canh-cac-hanh-tinh-trong-he-sao-tre-post339805.html