In a few billion years, the Sun will transform into a white dwarf, causing Jupiter and Saturn to likely drift farther away. Unlike massive stars, the Sun won't explode as a supernova. Instead, it will undergo a red giant phase, shedding layers that form planetary nebulae.
The James Webb Space Telescope, skilled at observing distant objects, now acts as a scientific crystal ball, providing a glimpse into the future. Recently, it possibly detected two exoplanets orbiting separate dead stars, offering a glimpse into the future of the Solar System.
JWST Discovers Exoplanets Resembling Jupiter, Saturn Orbiting White Dwarfs
The newly discovered exoplanets, resembling the Solar System's gas giants Jupiter and Saturn, orbit white dwarf stars that act as analogs to the Sun's eventual fate. When the Sun transforms into a white dwarf in around 5 billion years, it will likely destroy inner planets, including Jupiter.
Susan Mullaly, the study's lead author, noted that the JWST's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI) has observed these rare candidates, offering a unique opportunity to witness a planetary system post-star death.
The white dwarfs in the study were identified as WD 1202-232 and WD 2105-82. Their properties, including temperature, age, mass, and orbital separation, closely resemble planets in the outer Solar System. The first exoplanet is positioned around 11.5 times the Earth-Sun distance, while the second is approximately 34.5 times this separation.
However, uncertainty surrounds the planets' masses, estimated at 1 to 7 times that of Jupiter. As the Sun becomes a red giant, engulfing inner planets, the exoplanet discoveries hint at the potential survival of gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn after the Sun's demise.
The polluted white dwarfs, containing elements heavier than hydrogen and helium, may provide insights into the fate of the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, with giant planets causing metal pollution.
This rare discovery not only forecasts the future of our planetary system but also establishes a significant scientific milestone, shedding light on the intriguing relationship between giant planets and white dwarf stars.
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White Dwarf Exoplanet Imaging: Insights and Evolutionary Challenges
Since the mid-1990s, astronomers have identified approximately 5,000 exoplanets, but only about 50 have been directly imaged due to the challenge posed by the intense light from their parent stars. Traditional detection methods involve observing transits or star wobbles caused by gravitational interactions with planets.
But the JWST has changed this by directly imaging two exoplanets orbiting white dwarf stars, offering a unique opportunity for further study of their atmospheres, masses, and temperatures.
The discovery also sheds light on the issue of white dwarf metallicity, with some appearing polluted by metals, likely originating from perturbed asteroids and comets sent into the white dwarf by giant planets.
The identification of planets around white dwarfs has been challenging using conventional methods like the transit and radial velocity methods, making the JWST's infrared capabilities crucial in directly imaging Jupiter-mass planets around these stars without using a coronagraph.
Confirmation of these exoplanets would provide observational evidence that outer giant planets, similar to Jupiter, can survive the evolution of low-mass stars. However, it remains unclear if these planets are responsible for sending debris onto white dwarf surfaces, emphasizing the need for further observations to validate this aspect.
Their research, titled "JWST Directly Images Giant Planet Candidates Around Two Metal-Polluted White Dwarf Stars," is currently available in a pre-printserver.
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